Persephone Jackson and the Lightning Thief
by XxIzukuxXMidoriyaxX
Summary: Basically a more badass, smart, and clever Percy. Did I mention he is now a she? Yep! Fem!Percy This is a remake of the Lightning Thief. This story will stray from the original though. So I won't just replace 'he' with 'she' in this story. Rated T for HEAVY swearing! I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE PARTS YOU DONT RECOGNIZE! PERMANENT HIATUS!
1. Chapter 1

TLT Chapter 1

I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZED MY PRE-ALGEBRA TEACHER

If you think I wanted to be a half-blood, you're crazy! Looking over your shoulder every second, being hunted by supposedly mythological beings, and worst of all, dealing with arrogant gods who want to kill you if you're too powerful (*cough* Zeus *cough*). Yea, no thanks. If you think you're a half-blood, accept it like a real man, er, woman, whatever you are. Because that's the thing, you don't have a choice. You're life is basically set in stone (or yarn) by three old ladies the moment a god or goddess gets a little horny (mostly gods though) and brings you into this awful life with no help from them whatsoever—unless you're lucky, which not many demigods are. But if you're just a normal kid, read on and ignore everything I just said.

I'm getting off track here.

My name is Persephone Jackson, but call me that and you won't forget the feeling of my fist on your face—just ask Nancy, you'll meet her soon enough. I don't like to be known as a kidnapped damsel in distress cause she was a little hungry and ate a pomegranate seed, in the underworld no less (yea I know, stupid). I go by Percy, or if you think you're too mightier than thou to even say my first name (*cough* monsters *cough*), then it's Jackson. I know I sound a little too violent for a 12 year old as myself but what do you expect from a troubled kid.

Am I really that troubled?

Hell to the yes.

I get the wonderful privilege to go to a private boarding school for troubled (read: mental) kids in upstate New York called Yancy Academy. I could start at literally any point in my short miserable life to show you that I have a serious misbehaving problem. But really, this whole thing started going bad last May, when our sixth grade class took an educational field trip to Manhattan—twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a dirty, ugly, mustard yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at Ancient Greek and Roman stuff that I already knew about from my mom (she's a huge nerd about this stuff).

I know- it sounds like absolute torture. Done get me wrong- I love to learn... but not when you have a bunch of obnoxious assholes joining in.

But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had some pretty high expectations.

Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a cool motorized chair. He had brown, thinning hair and a scruffy beard, along with a frayed tweed jacket that always seemed to smell like coffee. He wouldn't seem cool at first glance, but he told interesting stories and funny jokes and also let us play games in class, which immediately put him on my good list, meaning he got no pranks from me. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class I even bothered to pay attention to, despite my average grades.

And for once in my life, I actually hoped this trip would be okay. At least, I hoped to not get in trouble, for my mother's sake, since I knew she loved Greek mythology.

Boy was I wrong. Actually, contrary to the popular belief, I expected it, even the mythological part, I just had to put the pieces together from all my past experiences.

By past experiences, I mean field trips.

You see, bad things happen to me on field trips, there's just no stopping it. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this "accident" with a Revolutionary War cannon. How could you put a loaded cannon on display and expect me to not shoot it? I mean come on! At least I had a good reason: I was aiming at a target, a dog the sized of a garbage truck that was coming towards me, on the other side of the parking lot, but it hit the bus instead. You can probably guess they weren't to happy about that as they were quick to expel me. Oh, and before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a more interesting behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I may have purposely hit the wrong lever on the catwalk that had the class taking an unplanned swim. Those ass-wipes didn't believed me when I said the sharks, who were quite nice, told me to. And there were many times before that that I would just love to describe but I'm getting off track again (goddamn ADHD).

This trip, I was determined to not prank anybody. Notice how I didn't say I'd be 'good'.

All the way through the city, I forced down my annoyance and put up with Nancy Bobofit-told you, you'd meet her-, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of her peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich, but knowing not to mess with me specifically, seeing as I almost broke her nose when I punched her last time for insulting me.

The thing is, Grover was a really easy target, unlike me. He was super scrawny. He, for some odd reason he wouldn't tell me, cried when he got frustrated. He had to have been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. And, as a nice cherry on top, he was crippled. He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life for some muscular disease. He walked like every step hurt him, but for some suspicious reason he could run like hell on enchilada day and not once did anyone question it. I gotta give him props for pulling it off though, wish I was that good.

Anyways, Nancy was still throwing wads of her sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything about it cause I was already on probation. As if that would stop me. But, the headmaster had threatened me with, honest to god, death, by in-school suspension if anything, and I mean anything remotely bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this stupid trip, even if it wasn't my fault- though it most likely would be.

"I'm going to break her nose for real this time," I quietly growled.

Grover, being the great friend he is, tried to calm me down, knowing what I was like when pissed off. "It's okay. I like peanut butter!"

"IN YOUR FUCKING HAIR?!" I whisper yelled a little too loud, causing Mr. Brunner to stare at me, too surprised at my rude language to even scold me while Mrs. Dodds just sneered at me like it was completely normal for a twelve year old to be cussing.

He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch.

"YOU'RE DEAD, BOBOFIT!" I snarled as I started to get up, inwardly satisfied when I saw a flicker of fear in her eyes as her hand subconsciously went to protect her nose. Sadly, Grover pulled me down before any damage could be done.

"You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens."

"Why the fuck should I care," I said, still angry he didn't let me deck her.

He just looked at me with a 'you know why' look, completely used to my foul language. Looking back on it now, I wish I broke her nose then and there cause honestly, in-school suspension would be better than going through all this godly mess I was about to get myself into.

Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.

He rode up front in his amazing wheelchair, leading us through the big echoey galleries, past some naked marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery, sprouting random facts about each one.

It positively blew my mind that this stuff had survived tens of thousands of years.

He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele he called it, for a girl around our age, kinda depressing when you think about it. He droned on and on about the carvings on the sides. For once in my life, I was actually trying to listen to what he had to say, because I only had basic knowledge of this stuff and wanted to know more, but everyone wouldn't stop talking, making my rage grow by the second. Every single time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the rudest look.

Mrs. Dodds, in my humble opinion, was Satan's Bitch. She was this little maths teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was like fifty years old. She looked badass enough to ride a Harley right into your locker for getting an F on an assignment. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when the last teacher had a mental breakdown (guilty as charged).

On her first day, Mrs. Dodds just adored little ol' Nancy and fucking despised me like I was the devil itself, even though that's not far from the truth. Whenever I did something that was a tad out of line, she would point her nasty crooked fingers at me and say, "Now, honey," in her sickly sweet, southern accent and I instantly knew I was going to get after-school detention for the next month or so. Unfair if you ask me.

One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math textbooks until fucking midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was even human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right." That was my second clue.

Mr. Brunner was still going on about Greek funeral art, still very depressing.

I snapped when all of a sudden Nancy snickered something about the naked dude on the stele to her cronies. I whipped around and said in my most harsh voice, "WILL YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP, BITCH!?"

The echoey walls carried my voice and seemed to amplify it by a thousand, because it came out way louder than I intended.

The whole group was torn between shaking in fear or laughing at Nancy's expense. Mr. Brunner suddenly stopped his story.

"Ms. Jackson," he scolded, "watch your language! Did you have a comment to make?"

Mr. Brunner is the only person, other than my mom and Grover, able to make me feel ashamed. That's why I was a little red, not too red for anyone but him to notice, when I said, "No, sir."

Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"

I looked at the carving and felt a flush of relief because my mom often talked about this one. "That's Kronos eating his kids."

"Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously I hadn't satisfied him. "And he did this because..."

"Kronos was the King Titan and he didn't trust his kids cause of some fuc-messed up prophecy his dad gave him after he sliced him into little pieces stating that his kids would kill him he same way he was killed and all that sh-crap. You know, now that I think about it, you'd think that'd be a hint to love your kids to get them to like you, but nope, he ate them like the butt head he was. But Rhea, bless her, hid Zeus and fed a rock to Kronos instead—how can you be stupid enough to mistake a rock for a baby anyways? Ok, back on track, and when Zeus grew up, he fed a mixture of vinegar and mustard to his father—" I started before a classmate interrupted.

"Ewwww!" She exclaimed

"Yeah whatever. Can I continue now? Anyways, Zeus fed a mixture of mustard and vinegar to his father, making him barf up his siblings—" was all I got in once again before I got interrupted yet again.

"EWW—" she started before I cut her off.

"SHUT UP AND LET ME FINISH! Okay? Okay. So, him and his sibling had this, like,10 year war and the gods won, those lucky bastards."

By the time I was finished, Mr. Brunner was staring at me with a horrified look in his eyes while Nancy mumbled to her friend, "Like we're gonna use this in real life. Like a job application's gonna say, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"

"Yeah, okay. Like you'd even get to that stage of a job. You'll probably be a stripper for all we know," I said to Nancy. Nancy was about to open her mouth to retort, but one glare from me and her mouth was shut.

Mr. Brunner got out of his little shock and gave me a weird glance he thought I didn't notice before it went away and he turned fully to me.

"And why, Ms. Jackson," Brunner began, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"

"Busted," Grover muttered. I snickered quietly with the group, so as not to get caught by Brunner.

"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face brighter than her hair, if that was even physically possible.

At the very least Nancy got busted too. I'm tellin' you, Mr. Brunner has some sort of radar ears and was the only one who caught Nancy in the wrong.

I thought about his question and to what my mom taught me about people called demigods, half human, half god. This would be pretty important to them. So I said, "If you were a demigod, right? Those half god, half humans?

Mr. Brunner looked stunned, Grover as well. Glad to know he had faith in me (notice the sarcasm). "Well, full credit Ms. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos with a mixture of mustard and vinegar, which made him disgorge his other five siblings, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods then defeated their father, sliced him into pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note (happy?), it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"

The class drifted on, the girls holding their stomachs like the weak pansies they are, and the guys pushing each other around like doofuses. What's new?

Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Ms. Jackson."

I had a feeling on what he was going to ask.

I told Grove that I'd catch up later then turned to Mr. Brunner and said, "Sir?"

Mr. Brunner has these weird eyes- intense brown ones that looked to be a thousand years old and had seen everything.

"How did you get the answer demigods for my question?" He inquired.

"My mother sometimes talks about demigods to me, she said it was important information and that I needed to know it." I replied, the reason to why this was important slowly coming together.

"Well your mother is a very smart lady. But, everything you learn from me is vitally important as well. I expect you treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."

I was inwardly happy, this guy pushed me hard and actually believed I could do something. I wasn't going to let him down. "Okay, Mr. Brunner, I will try my absolute best!"

Well ignoring the fact that I've never gotten above a B+ in my life, I would still try my hardest to impress Mr. Brunner.

Mr. Brunner dismissed me, looking a proud until a sad look came on his face as he looked at the stele, like he was at the girl's funeral. Suspicious.

Line Break

The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the endless foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.

Overhead, a massive storm was brewing, with the clouds blacker than I'd ever seen. I figured it was some weird thing with the economy because the weather had been funky since Christmas. We've been having unusually massive snow storms, flooding, and wildfires from lighting strikes. I wouldn't be too surprised if there was a hurricane coming in.

None of the other idiots seemed to notice though which I found very weird since they didn't so much as glance at the sky. Some guys were too busy pelting the poor pigeons with their Lunchables crackers. Nancy, ugh, don't even get me started, Nancy was trying to pickpocket something from a poor old lady's purse, and, of fucking course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing shit.

Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the other weirdos and idiots that tried hitting on me (not to brag but for a twelve year old I have a nice body figure). We thought that if we sat away from them, others would think we weren't associated with them at all. It didn't work so well.

"Detention?" Grover asked.

"You have so much faith in me," I said in mock hurt, making Grover snicker a little. "But nah, not from Mr. Brunner, he just wanted to know something and told me to work hard. I mean-I'm not a genius, but I'm not dumb, ya know?"

He nodded but didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to cheer me up a little, he just said, "Can I have your apple?"

I just sighed and handed to him; Grover sucks at making people feel better.

I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's place, only a little ways uptown from our current location. Man, I hadn't seen her since Christmas! I just wanted so badly to jump in a cab and have him take me home. But I knew it was worthless, I mean, she'd be happy to see me, but also kinda disappointed and just send me back to this hellhole, remind me to keep trying, even if this was my sixth school in six years (I was probably going to get kicked out anyways). I wouldn't be able to stand the look she gave me. Before you say it, yes, I know, the tough punk chick is a total mommas girl. Deal with it.

Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery—who the hell snacks on celery of all things?—while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table, which I thought was the coolest thing since chokers.

I was about to unwrap my much needed sandwich when Nancy, the bitch, appeared in front of me in all her asshole-ish glory with her ugly ass friends. Guess she was tired of trying—and not succeeding, judging by the dirty looks loiterers and old ladies were giving her—to pickpocket and dumped her HALF FUCKING EATEN LUNCH in Grover's lap.

"Oops." She grinned and me with her yellow, crooked teeth. Dead serious, her freckles were orange, like somebody spray-painted her face with liquified Cheetos, like I said, gross.

Really though, I did tried to stay cool and keep a reign on my temper, but she has been nagging me ever since we got on that damned bus (and she has a weird talent of getting under my skin without trying). The school counselor had told me a billion times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper." But I didn't even make it to three as my mind went blank and I heard a wave in my ears as I let loose.

Despite what people may think, I don't remember touching her, like, at all. But somehow she was in the fountain, soaking wet, but knowing better than to blame me (as I would punch her again. Probation or not).

Mrs. Dodds was suddenly right next to me.

Some of the kids were whispering but quickly stopped as they saw my glare but I already heard some snippets of conversation. Things like:

"Did you see-"

"-the water-"

"-like it grabbed her-"

I didn't know what they were blabbering about but I knew one thing for sure. I was in deep shit. Well, there goes my promise of staying out of trouble.

As soon as Mrs. Dodds was absolutely, one hundred percent sure Nancy was in the tippiest top condition possible, promising to buy her new clothes at the gift shop and all that other bullshit, she turned to me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes and a little violent glint that disappeared just as quickly as it came which made me a little uneasy. "Now, honey-"

"I know," I interrupted her in a rude tone. "A month erasing those dumb workbooks."

That obviously just made her even more mad.

"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds demanded.

"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her."

I started at Grover, dumbfounded. Why was he trying to cover for me? He was literally terrified of Mrs. Dodds.

She glared at him so hard the poor guy's whiskery chin trembled. He officially had the 'Best Friend Ever' award right now... ignoring the fact that he's my only friend.

"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she all but snarled.

"But-" he tried again

"You-will-stay-here," she said with such malice it almost, almost, made me flinch.

Grover looked at me desperately, trying to converse with me even though I didn't understand. Why was he so panicked?

"It's okay, dude," I told him. "Thanks for trying though. I appreciate it."

"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now."

"Jeez I'm coming you old hag," I muttered under my breath so only Grover could here. Grover tried to stifle a laugh, though it looked more nervous and forced.

Nancy must've temporarily forgot who she was looking at because she smirked at me. Smirked at me.

I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare that made her pale and quickly turn around. I inwardly smirked, despite the situation I was in. I then turned to face Dodds, but... she wasn't there. She was somehow standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the damn steps, gesturing impatiently at me to hurry up.

How's she get there so fast? That question alone sent warning alarms into my head. I knew I shouldn't go with her but I couldn't blatantly ignore a teacher or I'd be in deeper shit than now.

My counselor says that my brain falls asleep or something and it's like the universe moved without me. He said it was because of my ADHD. You know what I call that? A load of bullshit.

Despite my better instinct, I followed Dodds.

Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover to see how he was handling this, he seemed pretty freaked out back there. He was pale, his eyes cutting between Mr. Brunner and I, trying to get him to notice me, but Mr. Brunner was too involved in his novel to notice. I swear if I get excessively punished cause he's not paying attention I'll haunt him for the rest of his life.

I analyzed all of this in mere seconds, but when I looked up again, Mrs. Dodds had disappeared...again, except this time in the building at the end of the entrance hall.

Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy the bimbo a new shirt. But deep down I new that wasn't the case.

I was proved right as I followed Mrs. Dodds deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her (she's a fast old lady, jeez), we were in the Greek and Roman section. This just backed up my theory. The Greek gods were real. That meant Dodds might be some kind of danger—a monster...

Judging by the growling in the back of her throat, she definitely was.

The gallery was empty, well, except for us, obviously.

Dodds was in front of the big marble frieze of the Greek gods when I heard the growling.

I mean, even without the weird noise, I'd be a tad nervous. You know, it's kinda weird being alone with a teacher in the middle of a museum, let alone one that might be a monster. She seriously looked like she wanted to pulverize the frieze.

"You've been giving us problems, honey," she snarled, making me wish she would drop the damn 'honey' thing.

For once in my life, I did the safe thing and said, "Yes, ma'am."

The words tasted bitter in my mouth.

She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"

The triumphant look in her eyes was replaced with evil and the violent glint was back full force.

She is a monster, I thought nervously. How am I supposed to make it out alive if I have no weapon?

I played the part of a clueless student and said, "I'll guess I'll try harder, ma'am."

Thunder shook the building, making me think Zeus was mad. Suddenly, the weird weather all made sense now. But now wasn't the time to mull over my new discoveries.

"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds practically growled. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer pain."

Okay that doesn't seem fair. Pain, or confess, but still suffer pain. Sounds like an lose-lose situation. But I really didn't know what she was talking about.

All I could thing of was the illegal stash of electronics and candy I've been selling. You wouldn't believe how much rich kids would pay you just for candy and broken electronics I fixed up. I've made $2000 just this year! I'm fucking rich! Or maybe they realized I cheated on my Tom Sawyer essay. I didn't really cheat. Only 5 out of the 14 paragraphs were copied anyways. Hopefully they wouldn't make me reread it, considering my severe dyslexia.

"Well?" She demanded

"That wasn't very much time," I replied sassily. "But I really don't know what you're talking about."

"Your time is up!" She hissed.

Then, the weirdest fucking thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like fire. He horrid fingers turned into an even uglier version, turning into long, sharp talons. Her jacket somehow melted into large, leathery wings. I already established she wasn't human, this was just proving my point further. She was a shriveled hag with bat-like wings, claws, and a whole mouthful of yellow fangs that needed a major brushing, and she was about to slice me like bologna.

Then, if possible, things got even stranger!

Mr. Brunner, who I could've sworn just had his nose buried in a novel outside, wheeled his wheelchair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a cheap looking pen in his hand.

"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, tossing the pen at me.

At the same time, Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.

With trained skill, I ducked under the talon and felt them swoop by me, missing my ear by and inch or two. I hurriedly snatched the supposedly useless pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was the same exact bronze sword that Mr. Brunner used on tournament day.

Mrs. Dodds sounds around with an angry look in her eyes, furious that she had missed me.

I stared at the sword in awe for a second, then kept a tight grip on it, ready to swing it at any moment.

"Die, honey!" She snarled.

And flew straight at me, the girl with a sword, ready to be used at a moments noticed. Was she stupid? Did she think I was incapable of swiping a sword? Rude.

During my inner monologue, I felt adrenaline shoot through my veins. So, I did the only thing natural: I swung the sword.

The metal blade started at her shoulder and traveled all the way down to her hip (ouch!) like butter. Hisss!

Mrs. Dodds look like a sandcastle in a power fan. She exploded (I've been waiting for this day) into a yellow powder, leaving nothing but the rancid smell of sulfur and an already fading screech with the presence of evil still lingering in the air, like the red eyes were still watching me. Weird.

I was alone.

The sword shrank back into a pen.

Mr. Brunner wasn't there anymore.

Man, I knew that was most definitely not an illusion. I mean, I'm not stupid.

I went back outside.

Like I predicted, it was pouring buckets outside.

Grover was sitting by the fountain we were at earlier, a museum map tented over his head in a poor attempt to keep the rain out. Nancy was still soaked (serves her right), from the little episode with the fountain, grumbling some stupid shit to her friends. When she saw me, she must've had a temporary boost of confidence cause she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."

"Uh, what the fuck did you just say to me? And who the hell is Mrs. Kerr?" I questioned.

She looked horrified that she said that to me "Mrs. Kerr is the-is the pre-algebra teacher. She has been all-she has been all year," she replied nervously.

I just blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr, at least, as far as I knew. So I just rolled my eyes and went back to Grover.

I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.

"Who?" he said.

But he hesitated first, and he wouldn't make direct eye contact with me, so I knew he was lying.

"Not funny, bro," I told him. "I'm being fucking serious. Don't play with me."

Thunder boomed overhead.

He just averted his eyes and blatantly ignored me.

I just growled a bit and walked away. I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his little red umbrella, completely dry, while reading his book like he had never moved.

I went over to him.

He looked up, looking a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Ms. Jackson."

I looked at him funny before handing over the pen, not even realizing I still had it.

"Sir," I said. "where's Mrs. Dodds?"

He stared at me blankly. "Who?"

"The other chaperone. Duh. You know, shriveling old hag that hated my guts? Ring a bell? And don't you dare lie to me like Grover did."

He looked momentarily surprised at my hostility, even a little worried before he schooled his features into one of slight concern. "Persep-Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling okay?"

What. The. Fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

TLT Chapter 2

THREE OLD LADIES KNIT THE SOCKS OF DEATH

I was used to the occasional weird experience, guys with one eye, weird ladies with a donkey leg, but usually they were gone as soon as they came. This whole 24/7 thing was more than I was willing to handle. For the rest of the damn school year, the entire fucking campus seemed to be playing a sick prank on me, and soon, someone was going to get punched. Every single student acted one hundred percent convinced that Mrs. Kerr–a perky blond woman I've never seen before until she boarded the bus with us at the end of the field trip–had been our teacher since Christmas.

Every once in a while I would randomly tell somebody a Mrs. Dodds reference, hoping to catch them off guard and give me some proof, any proof, that Mrs. Dodds existed. They only avoided my gaze, afraid of bursting my bubble and letting loose my anger on them (if you can't tell by now, I'm the "bad girl" of the school).

It got to the point I almost gave up.

Almost.

But honestly, who didn't think it was Grover? Whenever I even mentioned her name, he would hesitate, and then claim she didn't exist. In all fairness, he tried. But I'm too damn good. (Never mind the fact that he's bad at lying)

Something fishy was going on, and I was determined to find out. I was totally convinced that this had something to do with the Greek Gods.

I didn't think about it much in the day, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds swarmed my head. But I wasn't no punk, so it didn't bother me at all.

The freak weather continued, and my mood seemed to reflect that. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room, which I was fucking pissed about by the way. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty fucking miles from Yancy, which scared the shit out of me. One of the current events we studied in S.S. was the oddly high numbers of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic this year.

I started feeling cranky and irritable, well, more than I usually am. My grades slipped from a solid B+ to a B- (I know it's not that much but I don't let my emotions get the best of me when it comes to grades). I got into more fights with Nancy and her stupid friends. I was sent into the hallway in every class, but still managed to keep my grades decent with Grover's help.

Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the hundredth time why I was too lazy to study for my spelling tests, even though he knew I had dyslexia, I snapped. I called him an ignorant motherfucker. I know, a little harsh, but you don't pick on people with metal disabilities. Especially the hot headed ones, aka me.

The headmaster sent my mom a letter the next week, making it official, stamp and all: I would not be invited to Yancy next year.

Fan-Fucking-Tastic, I told myself. See if I give a shit.

I was homesick anyways.

I just wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to put up with the annoying kids at a public school and deal with my perverted stepfather and his stupid ass poker parties.

But still... there were things I'd miss her at Yancy. The amazing view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, and the intoxicating smell of pine trees. I'd very much miss Grover, who'd been an amazing friend, even if he was a little nuts-o. I worried how he'd survive next year, what with all the bullies and no me to protect him.

I'd miss Latin class too, Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his belief that I could do well, despite my disabilities.

As exam weeks got closer, Latin was the only thing I studied for. I hadn't forgotten Mr. Brunner's little life and death speech he gave me in the museum. That just fueled my determination to do better.

The evening before finals, I got so pissed off I threw my Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room. The words had started circling the page, something that only happened when I was angry, circling my head, the letters like skateboards, doing complete one-eighties. There was no way I was going to pass this; I knew the difference between Charon and Chiron or Polydictes and Polydeuces, it was the spelling I couldn't get down. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Piece of cake! Not.

I paced the room, feeling itchy all of a sudden, like thousands of ants crawling on my skin.

I remembered Mr. Brunner's encouraging words-his one thousand year old eyes. He would only accept the best from me.

I took a huge, calming breath and picked up the insufferable mythology book.

I never wanted to ask a teacher for help, they usually got really impatient with me or gave up all together. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he wouldn't criticize me, he just seemed different. Maybe I could apologize for the huge C- I'd get on this exam. I didn't want to leave with him thinking I was an ungrateful brat that didn't even try this year.

I tip-toed downstairs to the faculty offices. Almost all of them we dark and empty, creeping the shit out of me. Mr. Brunner's door was the only one slightly ajar, the light from his window casting an eerie sense of creepiness in the hallway.

I was on my last steps to the door when I froze. I heard more than one voice inside. It was the nervous voice of Grover saying, "... worried about Percy, sir."

I completely stilled.

I always took a chance at eavesdropping, it didn't bother me much. But this conversation felt like it was on an entirely different level of importance than what I'm used to. But hey, can you blame me? My best friend is talking about me to a teacher! I needed answers.

I inched a tad closer, so that I was right by the crack in the door.

"... alone this summer," was all I caught Grover saying. "I mean a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, they know too-"

I knew Mrs. Dodds was real! But they called her a Kindly One. Wonder what that is...

"We would only make matters worse by rushing her," the wise voice that could only be Mr. Brunner said. "We need the girl to mature more, maybe become less... hostile."

"But she may not have time! She's perfectly fine anyways! The summer solstice deadline-"

"Will have to be resolved without her, Grover. Let her enjoy her semi-ignorance while she still can, I have a feeling she knows more than she's letting on."

"Sir, she saw her..."

Well, duh, I thought we already established this.

"Her imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince her of that."

Yeah, sure, let's go with that. I knew Mrs. Dodds was real, some idiot teachers and students weren't going to convince me otherwise.

"Sir, I...I can't fail my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."

Poor dude... I'll make him feel better back at our dorm room.

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said, the ever-so-kindly one. "I should've seen her for who she was. Now, let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall, alright?"

I almost dropped my mythology book from shock, but I am an expert, so I kept a tight hold on it. I let out a sigh of relief, then stiffened at my mistake as I heard Mr. Brunner stop talking.

Shit shit shit, I silently cursed to myself over and over again for my stupidity, I slowly backed down the hall.

I saw a shadow slid across the lit up glass of Mr. Brunner's room, something much bigger than the wheel-bound teacher I know, only further proving my point that Mr. Brunner was hiding something. He looked to be holding something like an archer's bow, scaring me because I was afraid he might shoot me in panic if he saw me running.

So I opened the nearest classroom door and slipped right in, just as Mr. Brunner exited his room.

A few excruciating seconds later, I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like horse hooves, then a sound like a dog snuffling came from right outside the door. A large, dark shape that looked like a man on a horse paused in front of the glass, then moved on.

I breathed, quietly this time, a small sigh of relief.

I finally put the pieces together. Greek mythology is real. Mr. Brunner was a centaur (maybe, I don't really know. It's an educated guess). And Grover was in on it too. My thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Brunner's voice.

"Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."

"Same," Grover said cautiously. "But I could've sworn..."

"Go back to yours and young Persephone's dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."

"Don't remind me," Grover said miserably.

The lights finally went out in Mr. Brunner's room.

I waited for minutes that felt like several hours before I dubbed it safe enough to leave.

Finally, I silently slipped out of the classroom, into the hallway, and made my way back to my dorm.

Grover, the sneaky bastard, was lying on his bed innocently, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night and not talking about me behind my back.

"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You ready for this test tomorrow?"

I didn't answer, too wrapped up in my thoughts trying to put more puzzle pieces together.

"You look awful." He frowned. "Is everything okay?"

Oh, you know, I just secretly eavesdropped on you and found out I might die... but yeah let's worry about exams. But I decided to not say that, as that would cause even more problems than I could possibly handle.

"Just... so fucking tired," I half-lied. I was honestly about to drop dead of exhaustion. So much for making Grover feel better. I know, I'm a great friend.

But I turned so he couldn't see that I was lying and set about getting ready for bed.

I partially understood what I'd heard downstairs. It was just more and more pieces for this huge puzzle that I'm trying to solve.

But one thing was absolutely clear: the Greek Gods are real and I'm in some kind of danger. What's fucking new?

The next afternoon, as I was leaving the fucking three-hour Latin exam, going over all the Greek and Roman names I misspelled on the exam in my head, Mr. Brunner, for whatever reason, called me back inside.

For a split, terrifying second, I was worried he had deduced that it was me who had eavesdropped on him last night . That, thankfully, wasn't the problem.

"Persep-Percy," he started until he saw my glare. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's...it's for the best."

His tone was kind enough, but his words still made me fill with disappointment, at him and myself. At myself for not being good enough, and at Mr. Brunner because I thought he was different, I thought he would keep believing that I would do great things. And even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing their test could hear him. Nancy Bobofit was about to smirk, before she abruptly stopped and looked down at her desk from my withering glare, daring her to do something.

"Yeah. Ok. Whatever," I said, just loud enough for only him to hear me.

"I mean..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "You're a very bright girl, but this just isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."

My eyes held a look of disappointment that only I knew was there.

Here was the only teacher I liked, in front of the whole fucking class no less, telling me I basically wasn't smart enough. After saying he believed in me all year long, now here he was, telling me I was going to get kicked out from the very beginning. What happened to tact? Cause he has none.

"Right I'm just one big fuck up who can't stay in school. Just another student in your everlasting career, right?" I said rudely. It was, after all, how I thought of myself, despite the confident facade I put on.

"No, no, oh heavens no," Brunner said. "Oh confound it all. What I'm trying to say... you're not normal, Percy. Trust me, that's nothing to be ashamed of!" He said quietly, finally getting a peak into how I really felt about myself.

"I get it," I said, "but just because being different is good doesn't mean it's accepted."

"Percy-" he started, slightly curious on what my life before sixth-grade was like. Well guess what? He wasn't gonna find out anytime soon.

But I was already gone, trying so hard to push down the horrifying memories of my past.

Line Break

On the long awaited last day of the term, I violently shoved my clothes into my huge suitcase.

The other guys were joking around, taking about their quote on quote "fun and exotic vacation plans". One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Amazing! Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. Cool! (Notice my sarcasm). But they were juvenile delinquents, like me, the only difference, they're rich. Their daddies and mommies were executives, or ambassadors, or even celebrities! I was just a nobody, from a family of nobodies, bar my mom.

Some guy came up to me and pretended to be interested in what I was doing this summer. I told them I was going back into the city.

What he didn't know is that I'd be getting a summer job like walking dogs in the burning sun or selling boring magazine subscriptions. Oh, and don't forget worrying about which school I'll be going to in the fall.

"Oh," one of the guys said, trying to act interested. "That's cool and I was wondering-"

"Not interested," I stated bluntly. I was so tired of this shit and stupid boys flirting on me.

"Oh."

He then went back to his conversation like I was never even there. That just made me even more pissed than I was before, I was just going to be used. Look! That cool dude over there scored with the trouble maker! Awesome! Yeah, can you say not interested?

The only person I actually dreaded saying goodbye to was my amazing best friend Grover. Turns out, I didn't have to. Grover 'coincidentally' booked a ticket to Manhattan to the same damned Greyhound as me. So here I was, on a sweaty and smelly bus with my friend Grover, heading to the city.

Oddly enough, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers, as if they would all turn into flesh eating monsters like Mrs. Dodds.

I happened to notice that Grover was always skittish when leaving Yancy, like he expected something terrible to happen. Before I found out about the whole Greek Gods thing, I assumed it was because he was scared or being teased (even though I was there so he had nothing to worry about). But everyone on the Greyhound was an adult, they wouldn't tease a random teenager. Now, I know he was looking for monsters.

Finally, I decided to give my good ol' friend a heart attack.

"Looking for Kindly Ones, Grover?" I asked, faking innocence.

Grover nearly jumped out of his chair, making me stifle my laughter, even though a few chuckles escaped "Wha-what do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, idiot!" I said before I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner.

"I'm not an idiot! And, uh, how much did you hear?" He asked as his eye twitched violently, at me or the situation I didn't know.

"Oh not much... What's the summer solstice deadline, huh?"

He winced. "So everything? But you gotta understand Percy... I was just worried about you, you know?" He started as he nervously fiddled with his hands, an obvious trait of a liar. "I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers..."

"Bitch, I was not halluci-"

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe the finals were getting to you, because Mrs. Dodds doesn't even exist, and..."

"BITCH! I WAS NOT HALLUCINATING!" I shouted, earning myself scolding looks from adults, which I promptly ignored. "You're a fucking terrible liar."

He was surprised at my outburst but had the decency to look sheepish as his ears turned bright pink. I'm talking six-year-old princess room pink, it was almost enough to make me laugh if the situation wasn't so tense.

Grumbling, he stuck his hand in his shirt pocket and fished out a nasty ass business card that I didn't want to pick up. I was not about to get no fucked up disease like herpes for touching that thing. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer."

The card had really fancy script, which was 1st degree murder on my dyslexic eyes. "Bitch, you expect me to read this shit! You know I'm dyslexic!" I berated him. I mean, come on, seriously?

"Just read it," he said, exasperated.

I grumbled some rated R words under my breath but made it out anyways.

Grover Underwood

Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009 (weird shit, man. Wtf kinda phone number is that?)

"What the hell is Half-"

"Don't say it aloud!" He yelped. "That's my, um... summer address."

My spirits dwindled a little. Of course Grover had a summer home. Of course he was rich. Why wouldn't he be?

"Oh," I said, trying to keep the negativity out of my voice. "So if I want to visit your big ass mansion and feel bad about my life?"

He quickly shook his head. "No! I meant if you needed me or something."

"And why the hell would I need you?"

It came out a little harsher than intended.

Grover looked like a tomato by how red he was. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I, um, I kinda have to, uh, protect you," he stuttered.

I just looked at him incredulously. Him, protect me? I almost laughed.

Almost.

I mean all year long, I'd gotten into countless fights, leaving my knuckles bruised for the rest of that quarter, to protect him from bullies. Hell, I'd even lost my precious sleep worrying how he wouldn't get beat up next year without me. And her he was, the bastard, acting like he was the one protecting me.

"Grover," I said carefully, "what the hell are you protecting me from? I can handle myself. You know that."

He opened his mouth like he was going to answer, but before he could answer, there was a huge grinding noise. Smelly black smoke poured from the dashboard and wafted into the air with the sickening smell of rotten eggs. The driver cursed, they weren't very nice mind you, and pulled the struggling Greyhound over to the side of the deserted highway.

After a few minutes of noisily clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Remember, it's summer and 90° out. Reluctantly, Grover and I filed outside with all the others. There were some important looking people checking their watches and tapping their feet impatiently like a couple minutes would hurt them. Rich people, so douche-y and impatient.

Sadly, we were on a long stretch of country road-no one would noticed that we'd broken down. On our side of the highway, there was nothing but huge maple trees and disgusting litter from disgusting people probably driving their disgusting car. I hate litter, it pollutes the air and I happen to love looking at the sky. Anyway, on the other side, across four lines of cracked asphalt, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.

The stuff on sale looked absolutely delicious: stack after stack of boxes of blood red cherries and apples, just the way I like 'em; baskets of hard walnuts and soft apricots, I was really contemplating buying something by now; and huge jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. Somehow there were no customers, the others didn't even bat an eye at them. It was just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the cool shade of a tall maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen in my whole god-damned life.

I'm not talking size 14 socks. I'm talking socks the size of sweaters you get from your grandma for Christmas. But they were obviously socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. Lastly, the lady in the center held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.

All three woman looked ancient, like they'd turn to dust the minute you'd breathe on them. They all had paper white faces wrinkled like a rotten strawberry, moon silver hair tied up in white bandannas, and stick-bone arms poking out of bleached cotton dresses.

The creepiest thing? They were staring right at me.

I looked over at Grover to see if he was seeing what I was. But when I looked over, Grover was almost as pale as those ladies and his nose was twitching like a hamster.

"Grover?" I asked tentatively. "Hey, dude-"

"Please tell me they're not looking at you. Wait, don't tell me, they are, aren't they?" he rambled.

"Yeah. Kinda freaky if you ask me. Hey, you think those big socks would fit me? They're huge!" I joked, trying to lighten him up a little.

"Not funny at all, Percy, seriously."

This was so unlike Grover. He was never serious.

The old hag in the middle took out a long pair of wicked sharp scissors that were huge! They were gold and silver and looked a lot like shears. They must've been up to somethin' cause I heard Grover's breath catch.

"That's it, we're getting on the bus," he told me urgently. "Come on." He rushed.

"Are you insane?" I asked incredulously. "It's like a million fucking degrees in there!"

"Just come on!" He pried the door open roughly and shot inside, but I stayed back. Mostly because my feet were planted to the ground, literally. I couldn't move my feet no matter how much I struggled. It's like they wanted me to see this and wouldn't let me move. It was frustrating not having control over my body.

Across the road, the old hags were still creepily staring at me. All of a sudden, the middle one snipped the yarn, and I'm dead serious, the sound could be heard across four lanes of New York traffic. The two other identical hags balled up the huge electric-blue socks that could've been used for Godzilla or Bigfoot, making me wonder if it was real. I quickly dismissed that thought as I remembered Grover's panicked reaction when he saw them.

Weirdly enough, just as the ladies disappeared, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine and the bus came to life.

The passengers cheered like they were stranded for 4 hours. Jeez people, it was only 5 minutes.

"Dam-darn right!" The driver yelled as he saw there were kids aboard. He slapped his hat on the bus for no reason at all. "Everybody back on board!"

Once we got going, I started feeling weird, feverish almost, as if I'd caught the flu. I bet it was the ladies because Grover didn't look too well either, he was shivering and his teeth were clanking together. Besides, from what I put together, Grover and I are the only mythological things on this bus as far as I know.

"Hey Grover?"

"Yeah?"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME?" I whisper-shouted menacingly.

He dabbed his sweaty forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back there at the fruit stand?"

"What kinda question is that? Obviously three old ladies. Are they like Mrs. Dodds too?"

I guess he thought I was talking about how dangerous they were judging by his hard to read expression. But no, I was asking if they were also apart of the myth world. He didn't seem to get the memo.

"Just tell me what you saw," he said nervously. Why is he always nervous?

"The hag in the middle cut the yarn with her massive scissors."

Right after I said that he closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers-it kinda looked like he was crossing himself but much, much older.

"So you saw her snip the cord?" he asked.

With startling realization, I figured out that those ladies were the three fates. I quickly covered my look of horror, so that Grover wouldn't see, and faked ignorance.

"Yeah. So?"

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. Nice to know he cared. He started gnawing on his thumb. "I don't want this to be like last time."

Now that I didn't know about.

"What last time?"

"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."

"God dammit Grover!" I half-shouted to get his attention. "What the actual fuck are you talking about?"

"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me," he said, for once dead serious.

I knew why of course. He wanted to make sure no more monsters were after me. I promised to him I would wait. Obviously I was lying. I get I'm in danger and all but I can protect myself. And I didn't want him to see my step-father, Gabe; he was a monster himself.

"Is this like superstition or something?" I asked, again feigning cluelessness.

Like I expected, no answer. Honesty, he sucks at his job, whatever it is.

"Grover-that snipping of the yarn. Judging by the way you're reacting I'm gonna assume I'm gonna die."

He looked at me momentarily surprised then mournfully, like he was already picking the flowers for my coffin. Such a drama queen.


	3. Chapter 3

TLT Chapter 3

GROVER UNEXPECTEDLY LOSES HIS PANTS

Alright, I confess, I totally ditched Grover right when we got to the bus terminal.

I know it wasn't smart, I was better than this. But Grover was seriously making me a little uneasy with all his muttering, things like, "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to be sixth grade?"

Funnily enough, whenever Grover got upset, get this, his bladder failed him. So, yeah, I wasn't that surprised when, as soon as we deposited from the bus, he ran to the bathroom like he was being chased by a demon. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing at him. Against my better judgment, as soon as Grover was out of sight, I collected my things, went outside, and caught the first taxi I could find.

"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," I demanded of the driver, trying to get home as quick as possible.

There's something you should know about my mom, before you meet her.

She's the only person, besides Grover and Mr. Brunner, that I wouldn't punch in the face and could actually stand. Her name was Sally Jackson and she's honestly the best mom a girl could ask for. That just proves the world is cruel because she has the worst luck out there (which I think was passed down to me somehow). Her parents, my grandparents, died when she was only five in a plane crash, forcing her to live with a dead beat uncle that didn't give two shits about her. Her dream was to be a novelist, so she spent all high school working her ass off to raise enough money to get into a college with a great creative-writing program. But of course, good things never last and her bastard uncle got cancer, making her quit school her senior year and throw away all her dreams and aspirations for a shit head that didn't deserve it. So when he died, she was left broke, lonely, and had no diploma to get a decent job.

Apparently, the only 'good' thing that happened to her was my missing father.

I have no memories, but I kinda got this warm glow thing goin' on, maybe I've seen him smile. I don't know. But I hate him for making my mom so sad, he's the reason she has no pictures of him, she said it was too painful.

The thing is, they weren't even married, making me an illegal child (on both accounts, though I didn't know that quite yet). All she told me was that he was hella rich and super important, meaning their relationship had to be kept secret. Then the bastard set sail across the Atlantic one day and never came back. That's what got me, he knew the risks but he still went, that made me hate him even more. (Obviously before I found out about the Greek Gods).

Lost at sea my ass.

My mom had to work shitty jobs, anything to get us by; she took long ass night classes for her diploma, leaving me with Gabe for hours; and raising me on her own, which I had to give her props for, I was anything but easy. Somehow, she never complained or got mad! Even at Gabe! This woman I call my mom is a fucking SAINT!

I guess I should explain more about Gabe. My mom married him when I was three. He tricked us into thinking he was nice for the first thirty seconds of meeting my mom, then BAM! He becomes the doom of this family and became the biggest bastard I've ever met! When I was younger, four or five maybe, I nick-named him Smelly Gabe, with good reason too, he smelled like shit and dirty socks had a god damned fuck up child that's been rotting for the past decade in a locker room full of sweaty men. I'm fucking serious. You think I'm joking? I'm not.

Gabe and I never, ever, got along, and that made my moms life so much harder. She had to deal with Smelly Gabe's slimy ways, and the way he and I argued... let's just say it never ends well. When I got home is an example.

I walked into our tiny apartment, praying that my mom was home. I did not have the patience to deal with Gabe today. My prayers were not answered. I was greeted with the lovely sight of Gabe and his poker buddies on the couch doing, you guessed it, fucking poker. The television was blaring ESPN so loud I thought I'd go deaf. I had to fight my way through beer cans and chips to get even close to my room.

Gabe saw me and looked me up and down hungrily, to which I looked at him with a disgusted look, and said around his cigar, "Hey, babe, so you're home."

"Don't call me babe, jackass!" I yelled. "Where the fuck is my mom?"

"Working, babe," he said, completely ignoring my first comment. "You got a little somethin' for me?"

I was used to this, even though I shouldn't be. He never said welcome back and always tried to molest me, which I was pretty sure counted as pedophilia.

He had obviously put on tons of weight as he went from a baby seal to blue whale. His clothes were from a thrift store and were 3 sizes too small, showing of his huge stomach that made me want to gag. He had a total of three hairs, that I was about to pluck off, on his head, combed over his greasy as hell scalp. Psh! Like that made him handsome...

He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart up in Queen, but he stayed home anyways. I don't get how they haven't fired that fuck up that society calls a man. So for the past year he's been sitting on his ass, collecting paycheck after paycheck, just to spend it on smelly cigars and beer. We actually had a whole refrigerator of beer. Whenever I came home from school, he expected me to put on a 'performance'. Meaning he wanted to eye-rape. I, of course, always declined and slapped him in the face. But if I told my mom he wanted me to do that, he said he'd do 'evil' things to me in my sleep. Let's just say that I don't want to lose my V Card this early.

"I told you a billion times! I'm not gonna give you a god damned performance, you fat fuck!" I yelled at him.

He look downright murderous at me by now.

Gabe was relentless, he would argue with me about this until mom got home if he had the energy to.

"You WILL give me a show, bitch! Right Eddie?" He demanded. (Like he could demand things from me! As if.)

Eddie looked a little disturbed to be brought into this and looked mildly uncomfortable while speaking. "Gabe, leave the poor girl alone will ya? She's only like, what, twelve? Thirteen?"

See, Eddie was a pretty chill dude. He always stood up for me and made sure I was okay. Without Gabe knowing of course.

"What was that, Eddie?" Gabe asked, a warning in his voice.

"I'm just saying that I don't feel like getting arrested if she blabbers her mouth! I got an apartment to run!

Gabe seemed to ponder this before reluctantly nodding his head. "Fine! Go then!"

I left the trashy living room with a triumphant smirk and mouthed a quick 'thank you' to Eddie, to which he replied with a short, barely noticeable, nod.

"Hey! Your report card came! Gotta give ya credit! You did average for once in your worthless life, Persephone!" Gabe yelled at me, successfully making his buddies, minus Eddie, laugh, and me, almost go back and punch him in the nose. I'll show him 'worthless'.

I slammed the door to my room shut and silently seethed to myself. If I could, I would totally murder Gabe. He was the whole reason I hated people calling me Persephone. It reminded me of Gabe.

During the months I was gone, my room turned from a little messy but tidy, to a fuckin' landfill. Gabe has supposedly turned it into his 'study', yeah ok, like the bastard even knows how to read. My unrecognizable room was filled with inappropriate magazines, muddy boots, and old cigars.

I plopped my suitcase on the musty bed. Sweet, sweet, home.

Gabe's smell was enough to block out the semi-terror I felt from Mrs. Dodds or the Fates, which is sayin' somethin'. All of a sudden, a cold chill ran down my spine, making me regret leaving Grover. It felt like something was watching me. Which, by the way, is creepy as hell.

Flashback

 _I was just walking in the apartment from third grade. Gabe and his buddies were there, but Eddie wasn't. Uh-oh._

 _As soon as I walked in, Gabe snapped his head towards me and a cruel smirk adorned his ugly face._

 _"So, you're home,_ Persephone _," He said around his cigar._

 _"Yeah, what's it to you, Smelly Gabe?" I replied sassily._

 _That was not the right thing to say._

 _Gabe's face turned into an ugly frown as he stood up and stalked over to me._

 _"What'd you just call me, you little shit?"_

 _"Uh-uh, no-nothing," I stuttered out._

 _Gabe was inches away from me now, his rotten breath invading my senses. Gabe slammed me against the wall, his forearm over my throat._

 _"Don't_ ever _call me that name again, you hear me? I will completely destroy you if you do, do you understand?"_

 _I rapidly nodded my head, too scared to say anything else. Gabe let me down, but before I could leave, he slapped me so hard my head turned. My fingers gingerly touched the already forming bruise._

 _"There's more where that came from, punk. Now leave."_

 _I scampered up and ran to my room, Gabe and his buddies laughs taunting me._

I was snapped out of my flashback by the nicest voice in the world. "Percy?"

My mother opened the door and my disturbing thoughts went out the door she came in.

My mom can make anybody feel amazing just by walking in a room. The way her eyes sparkle and change to a beautiful bright blue in the light. Her warm smile. Even though she's got a few gray streaks in her hair, mixed with her long chocolate brown hair, I've never thought of her as old. She only sees the good in me, none of the bad. Like when I got my fifth ear piercing, or that one time I shaved half my head, she always supported me.

"Oh, Percy!" She hugged me a little too tight. "I can hardly believe my eyes! You've grown to be such a beautiful woman since Christmas!"

I loved when she hugged me, because then I could smell her chocolate scented uniform from Sweet on America, the place she works at. She always brought me a massive bag of 'free samples' that we munched on. Did I mention they were all blue?

We sat on the very edge of the bed, away from Gabe's junk. While I slurped the blueberry sour strings, my mom ran her hand through my long, half-shaved hair (see the cover image in desktop mode to see hair). She wanted to know everything going on with her 'baby girl' as she says. I know it sounds kind of old-fashioned, but I wrote letters to my mom because we didn't have enough money for a phone, wait, speaking of money...

"Here mom! I sold busted up electronics that I fixed, along with candy and made $2000!" I said, showing my rare smile, saved only for Grover and my mom.

My mom was slack-jawed. "Percy... you did this for us?" She asked, tears of happiness in her eyes.

I just nodded.

She threw herself at me and hugged the living daylights out of me.

"This'll last us 4 months!" She exclaimed, but quiet enough for Gabe to not hear.

Our beautiful moment was ruined when Gabe yelled from the other room, "Hey, sweet cheeks! How's about you get me some bean dip?"

I clenched my fist, no one, and I mean no one, talks to my mom like that. Just as I was about to give him a piece of my mind, my mom put an arm around me, keeping me from moving.

My mom doesn't deserve this fuck up. She deserves someone that would give her the time of day and treat her like the queen she is!

Anyways, we, of course, ignored him and kept talking.

When describing my year at Yancy, I told her everything. I even told her about Mrs. Dodds and the Fates because I trusted her and suspected she already knew about the whole mythology-coming-to-life thing.

Her eyes widened when she found out I knew, and she started packing our bags. I was confused at first, but helped her with no question.

"We'll stop by Montauk for the night. Then, I'll take you to a camp for people like you, okay sweetie?" She said patiently.

Just as I was about to respond, Gabe came in and said in his nasally voice, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me? Need me to knock some sense into you?"

"Say that about my mom again and you won't live to see the next day. I mean it," I said in the most menacing voice I could conjure up, while giving him my scariest glare.

I actually saw him take a step back before he looked around the room.

"Where ya think yer goin'," he said.

"Wherever the hell we wan-" I started before being cut off by my mom.

"We're going to Montauk for a couple days," my mom said evenly.

"Wait, you were serious about that trip?" He asked through beady eyes.

"Yes, we have enough money," she started, "and Gabriel"-I snickered a little at his full name-"won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guac. Sour cream. All of it."

Gabe softened a bit. "So this money comes from your clothes budget, right?"

"No you son-of-a—" I shouted before my mom censored me.

"Yes, of course."

"And you won't take my car anywhere else?"

"We'll be careful."

Gabe scratched his disgusting double chin. "Hurry up with the dip and have the kid apologize for something," he demanded.

Maybe if I castrate you, I thought. Make you sing soprano for the rest of your miserable life.

But I knew my mom wanted me to cooperate, so cooperate I did.

"I'm sorry," I snarled, forcing the words out. "I'm sorry for not giving you your oh-so-needed pleasure."

Gabe and my moms eyes widened. My moms demanding I talk about this sometime soon. Gabe's promising pain.

Gabe left anyways, but not without one last weak glare at me.

"Once we get to Montauk, you're telling me everything that's been going on with you and Gabe, okay?" She half-demanded, half-asked.

"Yea, sure."

Little did I know we'd never get the chance.

After a long hour, I was so ready to get out of this hell-hole.

Gabe took a break from his oh-so-important poker game just to gripe and groan like a little bitch about losing his '78 Camaro.

"Not one damn scratch on this car, babe," he warned me. "Not one. damn. scratch."

"Ok, yeah, like I'd be the one driving smartass. I be you'd blame me if a damn seagull pooped on your shitty car," I sneered at him.

He just glared and waddled back to the apartment building. When he reached the doorway, I did the thing that Grover did, the one that looked like he was crossing himself. I clawed my hand over my heart and shoved it towards Gabe. The door slammed shut right on his ass, shooting him up the staircase, making me smirk and head back to the car.

"Let's go!" I said excitedly.

Our rental cabin was way out at the very tip of Long Island. It was kinda beat up with its faded curtains that were always half-buried in the dunes; the sand in the sheets; and the spiders that were in every damn corner. The sea was always too cold to swim in, but that didn't bother me. I loved the place anyways.

Ugh, I'm being sappy!

Anyways, my mom and I had been going there since I was baby, my mom even longer. I knew this beach is where my mom and dad met, even though she never actually said it.

I loved going to Montauk for one reason only, and it wasn't for my dad. It was because my mom seemed to grow younger, her worry lines went away and her blue eyes sparkled. Overall, she looked so much younger and stress-free.

When we got there the sun was already setting. We went through the same routine every time we came here, we opened the cabin windows, swept out the spiders, and cleaned the beds. We fed, well I chucked, food at the seagulls while eating blue jelly beans, blue taffy, and other blue foods my mom had brought from work.

Fine, I'll explain the godforsaken blue food.

Gabe told my mom the blue food didn't exists when I was seven. They got into this huge stupid fight about it that was really small at the time. But ever since, my mom has made blue everything. Blue pizza, blue tortilla chips, blue candy, and even blue birthday cakes, officially making blue and black my favorite colors. She also kept her maiden name-thank god, I did not want to be Percy Ugliano-showing that she had a rebellious streak, like me (except mine is 1000 times bigger).

When the sun set, we roasted, you guessed it, blue marshmallows! Mom told me stories about her life before her parents died. She described the books she wanted to write when we had enough money to get by. At that moment, I swore to myself that I would help in every way possible, my mom would not go through this alone.

Then, I brought up my father, who just happens to be a god. Her eyes were misty as she talked.

"He was kind," she said. "Tall, handsome, powerful; but also gentle. You have his beautiful green eyes and jet black hair, you know."

My mom ate a jelly bean. "He would be so proud, you're so smart and independent."

I might have blushed a little at that. I ran through the description she told me of my father, thinking of all the gods it could be.

I finally came to a decision.

"My dad is Poseidon, isn't he," I stated bluntly.

My moms eyes widened.

"How did you know that?"

"Mom, you basically just described him to me, and like you said before, I'm not dumb."

"Well. I guess the cat's out of the bag now, huh?" She said sheepishly.

"So what about that camp?" I curiously asked.

"We need to get there first thing in the morning, monsters will be after you. We can't leave right now because of the ten o'clock parade going on. We'd get no where." She said, a little panicked.

"It's fine. Well just wake at the ass crack of dawn then, ok?" I tried to soothe her.

"Persephone Cyrene Jackson! What did I say about cussing?" She lightly scolded.

"Not to..." I said sheepishly.

My mom sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me like the great mom you are?" I cheekily answers. (If you can't tell, I'm great at sucking up to my mom)

She signed again, but this time with a smile. "I can do that."

LINE BREAK

That night, I had my most vivid dream.

A white horse and a golden eagle were trying to kill each other on a beach. As they fought, a creepy ass voice chuckled somewhere underground, baiting and goading them to keep fighting.

I wanted to see how this played out so I just sat and watched instead, sitting criss-crossed in the sand. Just then, the eagle swooped down, it's sharp-as-hell beak pointed at the horse's wide eyes. I was actually hoping the horse would win, but I guess I'm being a bit biased, huh?

I woke with a start. The clock read 2:00AM.

There was a severe storm outside, cracking trees and blowing down houses. The lightning created fake daylight and the waves pounded the dunes like an AK-47.

My mom woke up when the next huge thunderclap shook the cabin. She sat up, wide eyed, and said, "Hurricane."

I knew this was a gods work, hurricanes are never this early in the summer. Over the roaring wind, I distinctly heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made me say one, horrifying word.

"Monster."

Then there was a banging on our door, followed by a desperate voice-someone that sounded vaguely familiar.

My mom jumped out of bed and threw the door open, not the smartest thing, but what can you do?

There stood my best friend, Grover, in all his... NAKED GLORY! Holy SHIT!

Before I could get a word in, Grover said, "I was searching all night! Where were you?!"

"I told my mom about the camp and stuff and we were going to chill here before leaving in the morning to this camp thing," I said in the fastest voice I could.

"Percy, it's time! Come on! Get in the car!" My mom said, panicked.

"It's right behind me! Why did you leave?!" Grover yelled, sounding more panicked than angry.

"I wasn't in my right mind Grover! Now back off and get your naked ass to the car!" I yelled while packing my bags.

While we ran to the car, I noticed that Grover wasn't running, he was trotting. He wasn't naked, he just had the bottom half of a goat! What. The actual. Fuck.


	4. Chapter 4

TLT Chapter 4

MY MOTHER TEACHES ME BULLFIGHTING

THE A/N BELOW IS IMPORTANT IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT PERCY'S LOOKS!

We sped through the night along dusty country roads. Wind and rain pelted the car like a pistol. I don't know how the hell my mom could see, but she kept her foot on the gas. If only she would drive like this all the time...

At every flash of lightning, I glanced at Grover, staring at his furry legs. He smelled like shit.

"So. You have a lot of explaining to do, yeah?" I asked, not cussing for the sake of my mom.

Grover looked a little nervously at me, and then anxiously at the window. "Yeah... I guess so. But that can wait," He replied.

"So mom, did you know Grover was a satyr?" I said, surprising even my mom with my quickness; she has so much faith in me.

"Uh, yes, I was told that you'd be watched," my mom told me.

I just hummed in reply.

All of a sudden, the weird tortured noise came up again, but this time, it was closer.

"Shit! That thing is after us! What the hell are we supposed to do!? We can't outrun that shithead!" I yelled, ignoring my moms half-scolding, half-horrified look.

"Percy!" She scolded. "Watch your language! We'll get there... we have to..." She said that last part under her breath.

I had the decency to look sheepish. "What's after us anyways? I can't get a good look at it through all this fuc-stupid rain!"

"Oh, nobody much," Grover said casually. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."

Yeah ok Grover! Just say I'm gonna die like it's the FUCKING weather!

"Grover! Are you trying to scare her?!" My mom squeaked, sounding scared herself. Like I'm scared of anything...

"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive a little faster, please?"

I was trying to figure out what was following us. I've only caught tiny glimpses from the blinding lightning and what I've seen so far, well let's just say it ain't pretty.

My mom swerved left, making me ram into the door. I grunted but didn't complain. We came into a more secluded area with narrower roads and more woods and past a PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES sign on white picket fences. Sounds sketchy if you ask me...

"So this summer camp is in a strawberry field? That's stupid. If you want to repel attention, why make it a sign that invites you to the camp?" I asked, once again seeing the surprised look of my mom and the awed look of Grover.

"We don't have time to answer questions, Percy," said Grover, obviously trying to get out of starting a conversation.

"Hey dumbass," I said quietly, so my mom would hear, "We're in a fucking car, WAITING to go somewhere. How the hell to we 'not have time to answer questions'?"

He stuttered for a second before coming up with an excuse. "Just drop it for now, ok? I'll tell you everything when we get there, alright?"

"Yeah, whatever. Not like I care anyways," I grumbled.

Grover was about to respond before my mom took a hard right, once again slamming me into the door; I was getting tired of this shit now. As she swerved, I caught another glimpse of the figure. It was dark and huge, but for the moment, it was lost in the storm.

"Excuse me. Uh, anyone mind telling me what the heck is chasing us?!" I yelled.

"We're almost there," my mother said, completely disregarding my question (Rude! Who does that? Can't she see that I need answers?!). "Another mile. Please. Please. Please."

I leaned forward in anticipation. Hey, no matter how badass I seem, I didn't want to die. I wanted to get to camp as much as my mom and Grover did.

Outside, there was nothing but heavy rain and pitch black darkness, the kind of darkness only found in the country.

I went back to Mr. Brunner, and his horse-like figure. If my calculations (don't tell anyone that I can be smart! It would so ruin my rep!) were correct, Mr. Brunner was Chiron. Before I could delve into my discoveries, there was a bright flash followed by a deafening boom, and our car fucking exploded.

I felt like I was weightless, like I was being flattened, burned, and soaked all at the same time. And let me tell you. It was NOT, in any way, pleasant.

I jerked my head off of the drivers seat where I banged it and said, "Ow."

"Oh my god! Percy!" My mom shouted.

"I'm fine... are you ok?"

I heard a faint 'yes' before trying to get my bearings. Ok, well, the car hadn't really exploded. The lightning just hit us, making us swerve into a ditch. All the doors were jammed into the fucking mud and the roof was cracked open (like the skull of whatever god did this) and the rain was soaking me to the bone. Right next to me was a motionless lump. "Oh jeez! Grover!"

He was slouched over, crimson red blood trickling out of his mouth. I slapped him on the cheek, trying to wake him up. I mean, even though he lied to me the whole damn school year and turned out to be a barnyard animal, he was still my best and only friend.

All of a sudden, he groaned "Food," and I instantly stopped worrying.

"Percy," my mother said, dead serious. "Get out of the car."

My mom launched her small frame at the driver-side door, but it was in there pretty good. I tried mine, it was also stuck too, shit. I quickly discarded the roof, seeing as it was sizzling and all.

"Climb out of the passengers side!" My mother yelled. "Percy-you have to run. Do you see that big pine tree?"

"Yeah... I see it," I said as another flash of lightning struck, illuminating the tree. "How could I not? That's one big ass tree."

"That's the property line," my mom said, ignoring my second comment. "Get over the hill and you'll see a farmhouse down the valley. Yell as loud as you can-you can even cuss. Just don't stop until you reach the door."

"Uh, aren't you coming too?"

Her face was scarily pale, her eyes were as sad as when she gazed at the ocean.

"Hell no!" I shouted. "You're coming with me whether you like it or not. Help me carry Grover."

"Food!" Grover moaned, louder this time.

"Shut the hell up!" I shouted.

The thing was coming closer, still making his annoying grunting sound. As he got closer, I made out more details. His huge, meaty hands were at his sides, swinging like crazy. He had a massive furry head that was very muscular. And... he had horns... holy fuck...

"But he doesn't want us," my mother said. "He wants you. Besides, I'm a mortal, I can't cross the property line."

"I don't give a shit! I'm not gonna let that thing get ahold of you!"

"We don't have time for this, Percy. Go. Please."

I was furious. I was furious at the bull thing. I was furious at my moms stubbornness. I was furious at Grover's moaning. But most of all, I was furious at my dad for putting me through this.

My rage just fueled my determination. I lunged across Grover and opened his door, the only one that wasn't jammed. I sprinted outside while dragging Grover from the car. "We're going together mom or so help me I will drag you too."

"I told you-!"

"God dammit, mom! I'm not leaving you! Help me with this fat ass!"

I didn't wait for an answer and hauled Grover onto my shoulder. Damn, he was actually light, but even with my above average strength, I wouldn't have made it if my mom hadn't helped me.

Together, we draped Grover over our shoulders and started to make our way uphill through waist-high grass. (Did they want us to die?)

Glancing back once again, I finally got a clear look at the godforsaken beast. He was at the very least seven fucking feet tall. His muscles were definitely more than twenty times bigger than a Muscle Man magazine and they were all packed into vein-webbed skin. He wore no god damn clothes, like, at all, except for these bright ass Fruit of the Looms (which I almost, almost, laughed at). The top half of his body was super hairy, like he hadn't shaved in a millennia. All in all, he looked fucking cool and terrifying at the same time.

I didn't take long for me to figure out what it was, what with the snotty snout as long as my leg and the brass ring in his nose. Oh, and don't forget about the sharp as hell horns aimed right at my chest. This thing was obviously the Minotaur, Mr. Brunner has talked about him enough for me to know.

I wiped the rain out of my eyes with my free hand. "That's-"

"Pasiphae's son," my mother said. "I wished I'd known how badly they wanted to kill you."

"That's reassuring. Thanks mom. Anyways, why not call him by his name?"

"Names have power," she replied simply.

I decided to not question it.

The pine tree was still about a hundred yards uphill-we'd never make it!

I risked another glance at the cock-juggling thundercunt (his new nickname... he should be honored! Don't worry, there will be many more to come).

He was hunched over our car, sniffing and nuzzling the windows like a weirdo. I concluded that he had bad eye sight.

"Food?" Grover moaned... again.

"I will punch you. Shut the actual fuck up," I threatened, even though he was knocked out. "I'm assuming he has bad eye sight, right mom?"

"Yes, and bad hearing," she replied, finally used to my quick thinking. "He goes completely by smell, but he'll find us soon."

Right on cue, the meat wallet bellowed in rage. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road, the car turned into a firework show, sparks flying as it flew down the wet asphalt.

Not a scratch, I faintly remember Gabe saying.

Hah. Serves that bastard right.

"Percy," my mom rushed out. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the very last second until jumping out of his way-directly sideways. He can't change directions very well-"

"Because of his huge mass," I interrupted. "He'd barrel right past us."

She gave me a proud look that made me feel all nice inside. (I swear, tell someone that and I'll haunt you...)

I didn't question how she knew this, I figured that she'd been expecting something like this to happen sooner or later.

Another bellow of rage came from the fuckwad.

Shit, he smelled us.

The pine tree was just a few more yards, but the stupid ass hill was getting steeper and slicker the more we went uphill. It didn't help at all that Grover's fat ass was draped over our shoulders.

Another few precious seconds and the cunt muscle would be on us.

My mother looked exhausted, but she shouldered Grover anyways. "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I told you!" She yelled.

I didn't want to split up, but it was our best option. I dashed to the left, turned around, only to be met with the shit stain's black eyes glaring at me with hatred. I think his smell actually burned my nostrils, he smelled a thousand times worse than Gabe!

He lowered his fat head and charged, his razor sharp horns aimed right at my chest.

I felt nothing but excitement and adrenaline. I was ready to take this twat waffle on! So when he charged, I jumped sideways at the last possible second.

The douche nozzle stormed past me like a heavy armored jet, then roared in frustration and turned. But he didn't turn to me... he turned to my mom, who was gently setting Grover down in the grass.

We were at the crest of the hill. I could see the farmhouse, the lights glowing a bright yellow through the heavy rain. But of course, that was half a fucking mile away. We'd never make it in time.

The dick nose grunted, then pawed at the ground. He kept his eyes on my mother, who was starting to back down the hill to the road, trying to distract him from Grover. (Why is she so selfless?!)

"Percy! Run!" She yelled. "I won't make it! Run!"

My body was telling me to run, but I couldn't, my mom was about to die! The shit stick charged my mom. She tried to jump sideways, but the monster wasn't as stupid as I thought. His meaty hand shot out and grabbed my mom around the neck as she tried to bolt. He lifted her with ease as she struggled for her life.

"YOU PUT MY MOTHER DOWN YOU COCK SHINER!" I screamed.

The monster looked my right in the fucking eye as he squeezed the life out of my mom. She dissolved into a bright light, and was simply gone. She wasn't dead, I knew that much. Last time I checked, humans don't dissolve when they die. That fact would've helped me sleep at night, if I had known who took her.

"God dammit!"

Anger flooded my senses, it was the only thing I felt.

The cheese dick bore down on Grover, who was still sprawled out in the grass. He looked like he was going to lift him up and kill him too.

Like hell I was going to allow that.

I stripped off my red rain jacket. Huh, is that a coincidence or what?

"Hey!" I screamed, waving the jacket like I'd seen in tv, running to one side of the monster. "Hey, cock fucker! Dick nose!"

He looked briefly insulted, if that was possible, before bellowing in rage and charging at me, once again.

I had an idea-a dangerous idea, but better then nothing. I flattened my back to the massive pine tree and waved my jacket in front of the ass goblin, thinking that I'd jump out of the way last second.

That was my mistake.

The shit stack charged way to fast, his arms spread out to grab me whichever way I wanted to dodge.

Time seemed to slow down.

I was feeling confident. My legs tensed. If I couldn't jump sideways... then I'll jump upwards. I leaped straight up, kicking off from the fart knockers smelly head, turning in midair, and landing on his disgusting back.

How the hell...

I didn't even have time to complete my thought as a millisecond later, he slammed into the tree, the impacted nearly knocking out my teeth.

The shit pisser stumbled around, trying his best to throw me off. I had to lock my arms around his sleek horns to keep from being tossed like a rag doll. The thunder and lightning were still persistent, the rain still pelting me. The smell of rotten shit still burning my nostrils.

The monster shook and bucked, kinda like a rodeo bull (I would know). He must be dumb, he coulda just backed up and smashed me flat-not that I'm complaining. That's when I realized, he only had one gear, forward.

While I was riding the bull, Grover was still groaning in the grass. I would've cussed and hit him to get him to shut up, but, as you know, I'm on a damn bull.

"Food!" Grover moaned.

The ass jockey turned to him, completely ignoring me, pawed the ground, and got ready to charge at Grover. I fueled my rage by thinking about how this fucker strangled my mom and whoo boy! That did the job! I got both of my hands and tightly grasped one of his horns and pulled back with everything I had. The monster tensed, gave a pained grunt, then-snap!

The shit head **(I'm running out of nicknames guys! Comment some more!)** screamed and whipped me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass, my head smacking against a rock. When I finally sat up, I was seeing triple, but I saw a horn in my hands, a ragged, blood-splattered bone weapon the size of a regular knife. (I would also know that too...)

The monster got over it's surprise and charged at me.

On instinct, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the bull-man hybrid barreled past, I drove his own horn straight into his side, right up under his smelly rib cage.

The shit nugget roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his hairy chest, then began to disintegrate, just like Mrs. Dodds.

The idiot was finally gone.

The rain had stopped, of course, right after the fight. But the storm still rumbled, but this time, only in the distance. I smelled like shit. My head was killing me, I probably had a concussion, I've had a few of those in my life. For the first time in my life, I felt weak, I felt so much grief but I forced it down, not willing to cry. I wanted to curl up in a ball and just die, but Grover needed me, so I managed to haul him the rest of the way up the hill and down the valley, right to the farmhouse. My arms were trembling, but I was able to keep a tight grip on Grover, he wasn't leaving me like my mom did.

The last thing I remember is falling on my back on a wooded porch, staring above me at the ceiling fan. There were the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a nice looking girl, with blonde hair curled like a princess. They both looked down at me, one with concern and the other with curiosity. The girl said, "She's the one. She must be."

The fuck?

"Silence, Annabeth," the man said. "She's still conscious-"

"No... I'm fucking asleep! Of course I'm conscious! My eyes are wide open!" I said sarcastically, a little delirious.

The girl's, Annabeth's, eyes widened and the man looked unsurprised.

Then I promptly passed out.

"Come on, dear, bring her inside." Were the last words I heard before I faded into unconsciousness.

Ok, I'm sorry for all the cuss words but all the websites for insults were all cuss words. So I said fuck it.

 **Anyways, onto Persephone's looks. Percy has 5 piercings on each of her ears. Half of her hair is shaved (she still had hair there though, she's not completely bald there) and the other half is her black, curly, and goes down to her belly button. She's got 2 tattoos (they are small). Ones on her left wrist of a trident (kinda obvious) and the second is on her right shoulder, it's a somewhat big, blue anchor. Also, Percy wears leather jackets with green or blue or black tank tops underneath. She also wears ripped jeans and converse.**

 **That's it! If I missed anything, just tell me! And leave a review! It warms my heart and motivates me to get chapters out faster when I know you're interested!**


	5. Chapter 5

TLT Chapter 5

SUPER IMPORTANT A/N!

Ok, I know you guys wanted a pairing... and I'm sorry to say that there will be no definite pairing (unless you comment that you want one). But this will be a Percy/Olympians... BUT IT IS ONE-SIDED! The Olympians, for some reason, have an infatuation with Percy, so they will help her on her quest (it will be subtle though). And if you can't tell when a god is helping, I'll put it in bold parentheses. For example, "All of a sudden, I felt a rush of knowledge (Athena)." So yea, that's all. REMEMBER, IF YOU WANT A PAIRING, COMMENT IT!

I PLAY PINOCHLE WITH A HORSE

I had really weird dreams full of barnyard animals, I bet it was Grover's fault. The thing is, most of them wanted to kill me for some reason, the rest wanted food (yep, definitely Grover's fault).

I must've woken up multiple times, but the things I heard and saw made no sense, so I did the only thing I could, I passed back out. All I remember is lying in a too soft bed, being spoon-fed like a fucking baby something that tasted like buttered popcorn from the movies, only it was like pudding. The 'she's the one' girl with the stereotypical princess hair was hovering over me, smirking (fucking smirking) at me as she scraped the pudding stuff off my chin with the spoon.

When she saw my eyes open, she rushed, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"

"How the fuck would I know?" I managed to croak.

She looked momentarily surprised at my rudeness before completely disregarding my question. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"

"Did I not just say that I didn't know? Are you dumb?" I shot back.

Before she could retort, somebody knocked on the door, and the girl stuffed my mouth with pudding.

Bitch.

The next time I woke up, the girl was finally gone.

Instead, a husky blond dude, kinda like a surfer, stood in the corner of the bedroom I was in watching me. Uh, can you say creepy? That's not even the weirdest part. The weirdest part was that he had eyes literally everywhere. His head, hands, legs, any place you name, he's got hands. I wander if he has eyes on his di-. Before I could complete my thoughts, I passed out again.

LINE BREAK

When I finally came to consciousness, for good this time, my surroundings were normal, except they were just a tad bit nicer than Gabe's. Somehow, I was sitting in a rocking chair on a huge ass porch, gazing across the meadow all dramatic, like an old lady that knew it was her time. The breeze smelled like ripe strawberries Well when we got her there was a sign that said PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES. There was a blanket wrapped over my knees, even though it was like 90° out. I was quick to kick that off. I, for once in my life, felt comfortable. Well, if you ignore the fact that every one of my teeth hurt like hell and the fact that my tongue felt like a desert.

On the small round table next to me, there was a tall drink. It looked like apple juice, with a green straw and a paper umbrella stuck through a, probably fake, cherry.

When I picked it up, I didn't account for how weak (ugh! Hate that word!) I currently was, and almost dropped the glass.

"Careful," a familiar voice said.

My best friend, Grover, was leaning casually against the porch railing, looking as sleep deprived as I felt (even though I've been asleep for a while). Under one arm, he carried a shoe box. He looked like the Grover I met, with blue jeans and an orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD shirt, not the goat-boy Grover I met last night.

As much as I wanted to believe that this was a nightmare, I knew it was all real.

"You saved my life," Grover said. "I... well, the least I could do... I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this."

He gently placed the show box in my lap.

Inside was the black-and-white horn of the mom killer (guys seriously, I NEED you guys to comment names. The names will not just be used for the Minotaur, but for Medusa, Echidna, and the Chimera).

"That shit-faced son-of-a-bitch!" I yelled.

"Percy! Not so loud!" Grover whisper-shouted to me.

"Oh, fuck off! The bastard killed my fucking mom! I'll say what I want about him!" I yelled back, quieter this time. I knew the Minotaur didn't kill my mom, but I was still playing the clueless idiot, so people would underestimate me.

Grover shifted guiltily. "You've been out for two days. So remember your mom?"

"Yes," I replied shortly, hiding my stupid feelings, but letting a little sadness show through since he was my friend.

"I'm sorry," Grover sniffed. "I'm a failure! I'm-I'm the worst satyr in the world!"

He moaned, stomping his foot so hard his Converse came off, showing his black hooves.

"Oh, Styx!" He mumbled.

Thunder tumbled across the sky as Grover tried to get his hoof back in the fake foot.

Since Grover was still sniffling, I gave him some good ol' Percy.

"Grover, helped me get up so I can slap you!"

"Why?!" He asked, alarmed.

"Cause you're talking a lot of bullshit! You were supposed to protect ME not my mom! I know it sounds rude, but it's true. Get a fucking grip! Now help me drink this or so help me I will hit you!"

Grover looked shocked at my outburst, but also a little relieved that I wasn't blaming him. I know I didn't have the best way to deal with feelings, but it gets the job done.

Grover held the green straw to my lips. I recoiled at the taste, because I was expecting some kind of juice. But what I tasted was my moms blue chocolate-chip cookies. While I drank it, my body felt the foreign feeling of warmth and energy.

Before I knew it, I drained the whole glass. Oddly enough, the ice cubes didn't melt. Probably some godly magic or whatever.

"Was it good?" Grover asked.

"Hell yeah... tasted like my moms cookies. Man, those cookies are the best."

"Sounds good, I don't think you could've drank anymore of that..." he said.

"And why's that?"

"Let's get going," he pushed, avoiding my question. I let it go just this once.

He took the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it would kill him, and set it back on the table. He must be allergic, I concluded. "C'mon. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting."

I forced my legs to not wobble as I walked to the other side of the farmhouse. As we came to the opposite end of the house, my breathe subconsciously caught in my throat.

We were on the north shore of Long Island, that much I could tell. I knew because on this side of the house, the valley ran all the way up to the water, which glittered in the sunlight. The landscape was dotted with strategically placed buildings of Greek architecture-things like an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, and a circular arena. I saw kids and satyrs playing volleyball in a sandpit, canoes in the lake, and kids in bright orange shirts just like Grover's. Hell, some of the horses had wings!

Down at the end of the porch sat two men, who sat across each other at a card table. The little blond bitch from earlier was there too, leaning on the porch next to them.

The man facing me was small and fat, to put it simply. He had a big-ass red nose, watery eyes, and curly black-almost purple-hair. He looked like cherub who's been living in a dump for the past decade. He wore and awful Hawaiian shirt, and would've fit right in with Gabe's poker parties (though he looked like he could've out gambled even my step-father).

"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite (yes ok Grover), for my sake. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's a camper whose been here longer that just about anybody. And of course you already know Chiron..."

He pointed to the guy whose back was facing me.

First I saw the wheelchair, then the tweed jacket, then the scruffy hair. I recognized him alright.

"So, Chiron, huh?" I said, a little mischievously.

My ex-Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. His eyes had that damn mischievous glint in them, like when he made all the multiple choice answers B.

"Ah, Percy," he said. "Now we have four for pinochle."

He offered me a chair right next to Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved an overdramatic sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

I just smiled mischievously, making Grover and Chiron nervous. "Good to see you too, Wine God," I said.

Dionysus, Chiron, Grover, and Annabeth looked at me surprised.

"What?" I said, feigning offense. "You think I'm stupid? Chiron. Grover. I'm wounded."

Grover and Chiron shook off their surprise and slightly smiled at me.

Dionysus looked slightly more interested in me now. "Finally, a brat that's actually smart! If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a daughter of Athena."

"What the fuck did you just call me, porky?" I all but yelled.

They all looked at me in surprise, anger, and concern.

"Percy!" Grover and Chiron scolded, eyeing Mr. D warily.

"Annabeth, go check on Percy's bunk, please," Chiron said. (You already know what Annabeth looks like, except they're the same height in my story)

Annabeth reluctantly left, leaving just Grover, Chiron, Dionysus, and I.

Dionysus showed me his eyes. People getting tortured by vines, adults going insane or turning into dolphins.

"You think you scare me? I could care less if you're a god or not! You don't get to boss me around! I'd rather die than listen to you!" I yelled at him.

It might've been a trick of the light, but I saw his eyes soften just a bit. Then it disappeared and he said, "Come, Grover. We have to talk about your less than perfect assignment."

I was so mad I didn't even bother when Mr. D went away with Grover, leaving just me and Chiron.

"So, you lied to me?" I asked.

He looked a little sheepish. "Yes. But it was for your own good, the more you knew, the sooner monsters would attack you."

"I've known I was a demigod since Mrs. Dodds attacked me."

He looked momentarily surprised before saying, "I really underestimated you."

"That's the point. Get your enemy to underestimate you, then hit em with the big guns."

"Let's go for a tour, shall we?" He said, completely and awfully changing the subject.

I just shrugged and went along with him. (Just pretend she's watched the orientation, so she's knows everything now ok? I don't feel like explaining all that godly shit.)

Then he raised out of his wheelchair, and came out a centaur. He looked at me, trying to gauge my reaction.

"I already knew. I did eavesdrop on you at Yancy and saw you in horse form."

"Oh," he replied sheepishly. "Now come, Percy Jackson, time to meet the other campers.

I'm soooo sorry. This chapter kinda sucked and it might be confusing because I left out a lot of parts. I will take CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ONLY. MISS ME WITH THAT OTHER BULLSHIT! Ok guys! See you sometime next week


	6. Chapter 6

**TLT Chapter 6**

 **SHOUT OUT TO 'Son of the Maiden 11' FOR THE HILARIOUS INSULTS THAT I WILL TOTALLY BE USING! YOU, PERSON, ARE AMAZING! AND IM SORRY IF YOU WANTED PERCY TO HATE CLARISSE, THEY WILL BE FRIENDS! BUT NOT BEFORE CLARISSE DUNKS HER. ONCE AGAIN! IM SO SORRY.**

 **I BECOME SUPREME LORD OF THE BATHROOM**

The tour was nice, though I made sure not to walk behind Chiron, much to his amusement. I'd done poop patrol at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times, and let's just say, I didn't feel as comfortable with Chiron's ass as I did his front.

As we passed the volleyball pit, several campers nudged each other and pointed at me, whispering. They were specifically pointing at my Minotaur horn. One even whispered, "That's her." Buncha' gossipers I tell ya.

Many of the campers were at least three years older than me. All the satyrs were bigger than Grover. I finally had enough of the pointing and shouted, "What the hell are you staring at?"

The campers' eyes widened and they all averted their eyes. I looked back at Chiron, only to be met with his reprimanding face, silently telling me to stop.

Of course, I just smirked. He was going to have to do a lot more than just give me a look.

I was just staring at the huge farmhouse before something caught my eye in the attic. Something moved, and I had the feeling that I was being watched. Weird.

"What's up in the attic?" I asked Chiron.

He looked where I was pointing, and his smile suddenly faded. "Just the attic."

"Like hell its just the attic! Something moved, Chiron!"

He looked surprised for a second, then worried, then his features were blank.

"Come along, Percy," Chiron said, forcing a lighthearted tone. "Lots to see."

Suspicious.

We passed the strawberry fields, where I saw campers picking berries while other satyrs did their reed pipe thing.

"The strawberries pay our expenses," Chiron explained. "And they take almost zero effort to grow."

"Let me guess, Dionysus." I said.

"Correct. Well done, Persephone."

"Yeah ok. And please, don't ever call me Persephone. Got it?"

He just nodded, a curious glint in his eyes.

I knew I was being rude, but I had to keep my walls up. Everyone I've met—bar Grover, my mom, and Chiron—always acted nice at first, but as soon as you let your guard down, they hurt you. I had to be sure that this place was trustworthy before I could even think about opening up.

My thoughts wandered to Grover, who was probably still getting chewed out by Mr. D.

"Grover won't get into too much trouble will he?" I asked, trying to mask my concern. "I... well... he was a good protector. Really, he was."

Chiron smiled warmly at me, seeing that this was the most emotion he was going to get out of me, then sighed. "Grover has big dreams, Percy. Maybe bigger than reasonable. For him to reach his goal, he must first demonstrate courage by succeeding as a keeper. The only way to do that, is to bring a new camper and bring him or her safely to Camp Half-Blood.

"But he did that, did he not?!"

"I might agree," Chiron said. "But it's not my place to judge. It's up to Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders to decide. I'm afraid they might not find this as a success. After all, Grover did lose you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate..ah..fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might not see that as courage on Grover's part."

"Ok. For one, I left Grover at New York, I went directly against his rule to stay put, that's my fault. Two, Grover said his job was to get me here safely, not my mom. And three, it's not Grover's fault that that bull-headed idiot slammed into our car, knocking him unconscious!" I yelled. "He better get a second chance! He will, won't he?"

Chiron winced and look at me sympathetically, which I just scowled at. "I'm afraid that you were Grover's second chance, Percy. The council did not want to give him this second chance either, after what happened five years ago. Olympus knows, I would advise him to wait longer before trying again. He's still very small for his age..."

"And how old is Grover? Fourteen? Fifteen? Maybe sixteen?"

"Oh, twenty-eight."

"The fuck!? And he's in sixth-grade?!"

"Yes, you see, satyrs mature half as fast as humans. Meaning, Grover had been the equivalent of a-"

"Middle school student for the PAST SIX YEARS! Imagine doing the same exam for six years... damn. I'd die," I interrupted, feeling proud that I knew.

He looked at me in pride, then cleared his throat. "Quite. Even by satyr standards, Grover is a late bloomer. He's still not very accomplished in woodland magic either. Perhaps now that he probably won't be going on any more assignments, he'll choose a different career."

I thought that was so unfair, but then I saw it from the old cloven dudes perspective. If I was them, I wouldn't want to recruit Grover either. No offense to him.

I wasn't completely ready to drop the subject, but I pushed it to the side anyways. It occurred to me that when Chiron was talking, he was intentionally avoiding the word death. I knew my mom wasn't dead, but that didn't mean she wasn't in the Underworld.

"Chiron," I asked, gaining his attention once again. "Since the whole Greek stuff is real..."

"Yes, Child?"

"Does that mean the Underworld is real, too?"

Chiron's expression suddenly darkened.

He hesitated before responding, as if carefully choosing his words. "Yes, child. There is a place where spirits go after death. But until we know any more, I suggest you put that thought out of your head."

"What exactly do you mean by 'until we know any more'?"

"Come, Percy. Let's see the woods."

"You infuriate me, you know that?"

He just smiled slyly and continued with the tour of the woods.

As we got closer and closer to the forest, I saw just how big it was. And holy shit, it was huge! The trees were very tall and thick, great for sneaking in and out unnoticed if you ask me.

"The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed," Chiron warned.

"Wait! We get to use weapons?! Awesome!"

Chiron looked a little unnerved with my enthusiasm with weapons.

"Well, you can test your weapon skill during Capture the Flag, which is on Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?"

"How the hell would I have my own sword and shield? Can you not see that I'm basically empty handed?" (I wasn't going to tell him about by hidden knife in my boot, or the brass knuckles in my back pocket...)

Chiron looked a little sheepish before responding. "Of course, I suppose not. I believe a size 7 will do (Percy is much more athletic than canon Percy) I'll visit the armory later."

As we continued on the tour, we saw an archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which I didn't think Chiron was very fond of), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights (which I would happily join in).

"We get to fight with swords and spears?!" I asked with unmasked glee.

He looked at me weirdly before responding. "Yes." he said it like he wanted to say no, just to keep me away from pointy objects. "Cabin challenges and all that. Not usually lethal. Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall."

After Chiron horribly changed the subject, he pointed to a Greek-style outdoor pavilion on a hill. There were a dozen uncomfortable looking stone picnic tables. Weirdly enough, there was no roof or walls.

"I'm gonna go on a limb here and say that you guys use some magic voodoo shit to keep the weather controlled," I said dryly.

Chiron looked at me with surprise and, once again, a little pride. "You are correct."

Finally, we got to the cabins. There were twelve of them, for the twelve Olympian Gods I assumed. They were arranged in a U, with two on the base and five in a row on either side. They were the most stupidest looking buildings I've even seen, and that's sayin' something.

They all had a large brass number above each door, but that's where the similarities ended. Number nine had smokestacks, kinda like a factory; Hephaestus, I assumed. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and the roof was made of real grass; Demeter, my mind supplied. Seven was blinding, probably being made of 1000 karats of gold that was definitely polished daily; obviously Apollo. The rest of the cabins I didn't feel like going into depth with. All the cabins faced a common area that was dotted with Greek statues (that thankfully weren't naked), fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops.

In the center of the field was a bonfire sized fire pit. It made no sense to me that the hearth smoldered since it was a pretty warm afternoon. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick. Something drew me to her...

"Hey Chiron? Is that a goddess? I don't think you'd let a nine year old tend to a flame..." I asked.

He looked momentarily shocked, but got over it quicker than last time.

"Yes... that is Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth, Family, Home, etc."

Hestia looked over at me. I gave a small, barely noticeable bow and a little wave. She looked happy, like no one had even bowed to her before. That thought made me feel sympathy for the forgotten goddess.

When I finally averted my gaze, I caught site of the two most luxurious cabins here. Cabin one and two. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest one out of the entire twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered, so that from different angles, lighting bolts seemed to streak across them; definitely Zeus'. Cabin two seemed to be more graceful looking, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls had peacocks carved into them; it was, once again, pretty obvious whose it was. Hera.

"Oh jeez... I wonder who those cabins could belong to...lightning bolts and peacocks. Imma take a wild guess and say Zeus and Hera," I said as sarcastically as possible.

Chiron gave a little chuckle that slowly faded as lightning flashed across the clear sky. Drama Queen.

"How come the cabins are empty? Last I checked, Zeus was the one who banged around the most," I questioned. This was the one thing I didn't know so far.

Chiron awkwardly cleared his throat. "Several of the cabins are empty. That's very true. But no one stays in one or two."

"How come?"

He ignored my question, making me silently seethe; that horse was more annoying than Nancy.

Then I caught sight of cabin three, the first one on the left.

It wasn't high and mighty, which I admired. The outer walls were of rough grey stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral that looked like they came straight from the ocean. It was my fathers, Poseidon. I peeked inside the doorway but Chiron stopped me. "Oh, I wouldn't do that!"

But before he could pull me back, which I almost slapped him for, I caught the salty scent that I loved so much. There were six empty bunks with silk sheets. But there was no sign that a living thing was ever there. What was going on? Poseidon AND Zeus not having kids? (Bar me) WHAT WAS GOING ON?!

Chiron put his hand on my shoulder, to which I shrugged off, and said, "Come along, Percy."

Almost all the other cabins were crowded with campers.

Number five was more my style, after cabin three, of course. It had a bright red paint job that looked like it was slapped on with fists and buckets. It had an awesome stuffed boar's head hung over the doorway, it's eyes seeming to follow me. Inside, we're a bunch of mean looking kids, arm wrestling and arguing while some amazing rock music blared (Greenday, anyone?). The loudest girl looked thirteen or fourteen. She wore and X times one-thousand CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a Camo jacket. She stared at me long and hard, then had a determined glint in her eyes. Freaky. She looked like a bigger and tougher Nancy Bobofit, and her hair was long, stringy, and brown instead of medium, curly, and red.

I kept walking, making sure to stay clear of Chiron's hooves. "So, how come there's no other centaurs here?"

"Well," Chiron started sadly. "My kinsmen are wild and barbaric. You might see them in the wilderness... or at major sporting events. But you will almost never see any here."

I hummed. "So since you're a centaur, and your name's Chiron, does that mean you're the Chiron from the stories? You know, Trainer of Hercules and all that jazz?"

"Yes, I am." Chiron answered as he smiled down at me.

"Well I'm just gonna assume you're immortal or something cause there is no way you should still be alive," I stated bluntly.

Chiron paused, then looked at me. "You really should watch how you phrase your words," he said is a reprimanding way. "As for how I'm immortal, it's quite simple actually. You see, I can't be dead. Eons ago, the gods granted my wish, so I could continue the work I love so much. Therefore, I will continue to be the trainer of heroes until humanity doesn't need me anymore. As you can see, I'm still here, so I can only assume that I'm still needed."

I took a minute to mull over his words. Being a teacher for three thousand years? Fuck that.

"I bet it gets horribly depressing at times, huh?"

Chiron seemed to turn hard of hearing again, to which I just huffed at, being used to the centaur's antics.

"Oh, look," he said, horribly changing the subject once again. "Annabeth is waiting for us."

Hey! It's my hoe! Line Break! Wassup?

The blond girl I'd met at the Big House was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven.

When we reached her, she looked over me critically, to which I scoffed at, making her scowl.

◦I, being my curious self, tried to read the title. At first, I thought my dyslexia was acting up again. That's when I realized the title wasn't even English, it was Greek (don't ask me how I knew). With a minor headache, I was able to make out the title. It said 'The Architecture of Ancient Greece' (totally made that up).

I was snapped out of my ADHD thoughts when Chiron said, "Annabeth, I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you be so kind as to take Percy from here?"

Somehow, I feel that Chiron just wanted to get rid of me...

"Yes, sir." The Annabelle girl replied. Or was it Annabeth? Oh well...

"Cabin eleven," Chiron told me, gesturing toward a beaten doorway. "Make yourself at home. And please, try not to put anyone in the infirmary."

I just snorted and said, "No promises."

Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most normal, but it was old, very old, looking. The doorstep was worn down, the brown paint on it peeling. Over the threshold was one of those doctor symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. I think it was called a caduceus, also known as Hermes symbol. (Thank you mom.)

Inside was a little better, but not much. It was packed with boys and girls, all of them ranging in age and size. There were even sleeping bags on the floor for the extra people. Either Hermes was fucking around too much, or something was going on.

Chiron didn't go in, as the door was way too low for him. But that didn't stop the campers from standing up and bowing respectfully.

"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner. And remember what I said."

I snorted once again as he galloped away to the archery range.

I stood in the doorway, sizing up all of the kids, and vise versa.

"Well?" Annabel-Annabeth prompted. "Go on."

I gave her a dirty look before walking forward. I saw a kid stick his foot out, so I did the natural thing and pretended to not noticed. When I was about to trip on his foot, I kicked it as hard as I could, making him yelp in pain and grab his injured foot.

I grabbed his collar and said in a menacing voice, "You think you're funny, huh? The only thing funny here is the fact that I can beat you to a pulp in three seconds, do we understand each other?" Without letting him answer, I said, "Good." And shoved him away from me.

Before anyone could react, Annabeth cut to change the subject. "Well, this is Percy Jackson. Percy, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" A voice asked with a hint of wariness in their voice.

"What the hell do you think?" I shot back. "Obviously undetermined."

Everyone looked a little disappointed that I was undetermined, but decided to not show it.

"I'll eat my underwear if she's not an Ares kid." A random person said.

I just smirked.

Then, a guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now, campers. Don't just assume parents, that's not what we're here for. Welcome, Percy." He said a little warily. "You can have that spot right on the floor over there."

The guy was probably fifteen, and he looked pretty chill. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different colored clay beads; I noticed that everyone had necklaces with beads. He had a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, and let me just say, it was cool as fuck.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said in a dreamy tone. I looked over at her and I could've sworn she blushed. She saw me smirking at her and blushed harder, before hardening her expression again. I would so tease her later. "He's your counselor for now."

"So until I get 'claimed'?" I asked.

"Yes, nice thinking," Luke said. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes in all newcomers and visitors. Since Hermes is the god of travelers and all, of course we would. So, until you're claimed, you'll be here with us."

"Lovely," I muttered sarcastically.

I looked at the tiny section on the floor they'd given me; I've slept on worse. The thing that bothered me was that I had no luggage, no clothes, and no sleeping bag; I'd have to borrow. That thought alone made me shudder.

I looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and wary, some grinning like idiots, some eyeing me as if they wanted to pick my pockets but were too scared to.

"How long does it usually take to get claimed?"

For some reason, the campers laughed. I looked around to see what was funny before I realized that they were laughing at me. Me.

"And what the hell are you laughing at, assholes?" I asked in mock innocence.

They all stopped laughing.

As I was about to deck someone, Annabeth grabbed my arm. "Come on," she said. "I'll show you the volleyball court."

"Already seen it. Now let me deck the jokers!"

"Come on!" She grabbed my wrist in a tight hold and dragged me outside, but not before I kicked some guy in the stomach. I could here his groans from here.

When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Really?! Did you have to kick him! What's your problem?!"

"My problem? My problem is that everyone here thinks they're better than me because I'm new! I'll teach 'em that I'm not to be messed with!" I said as I cracked my knuckles.

She looked at me in grudging respect and whispered under her breath, "You just might be the one."

"What's your deal about the whole 'you're the one' thing?"

"None of your business."

"Yeah, okay, whatever. Is this about me killing that bull-guy? Stupid," I scoffed.

"Don't you know how many people want to be you?! Who want a chance to fight monsters?!"

"Who the fuck would wanna fight that thing?"

"Everyone! What do think we train for?"

"Um, to survive!" I said incredulously.

She just shook her head and dropped the subject.

"I have a question. How did I fight the Minotaur if he died almost two thousand years ago?"

"Percy, monsters don't die. You can kill them, but they don't die."

"Oh, thanks. That clears it up oh-so-wise-one."

Annabeth glared at me but elaborated. "Monsters don't have souls like we do. That way, when you kill them, their essence can be sent away, but they can reform back since they don't need a soul to live. Understand?"

"See, was that so hard, Annabeth?"

Annabeth was not amused.

"So the Fury I killed will be back?" I asked.

She looked at the ground, as if expecting the ground to open up and swallow us. "You shouldn't cal them by their names, even here. We call them Kindly Ones."

"Why are mythological creature and deities so god damn sensitive!? Jeez! Can't even say a gods name without him or her throwing a thunder fit!" After my rant, a huge boom of thunder flashed in the sky. "See?!," I shouted.

Annabeth Just shook her head at me and looked warily up at the sky.

"So, onto a different topic," Annabeth said. "Do you know what your parent is?"

"Duh! He's a god. Did we not just have this conversation?"

Annabeth looked a little annoyed. "I was just trying to start a discussion."

"Well-"

I was interrupted by a husky voice yelling, "Well! A newbie!"

I swiveled my head to the direction of the voice. That big girl from the Ares cabin was casually sauntering towards us. She had he posse of a whopping three girls behind her, all of them just as big and ugly as the last, all wearing camo jackets.

"Clarisse," Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the big girl said, to which I snorted at, earning me a glare from Annabeth. "So I can run you through with it on Friday."

"Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said, which I understood to mean 'Go to the crows!' though I had a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounded. I really needed to learn Greek curses. "You don't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. I don't think Miss Tough Girl over here could follow through. Then she turned toward me. "Who's this punk?"

Before Annabeth could answer, I stepped up and said, "I'm Percy Jackson! Who're you?"

Clarisse was surprised, if her wide eyes meant anything; she must not be used to newbies standing up to her. She finally regained her composure and sneered at me. "I'm Clarisse La Rue, Daughter of Ares! We have to show you to the initiation ceremony, Prissy. It's exclusively for newbies! You should feel honored!"

"It's Percy! Or are you too dumb to understand that?" I shot back.

"Doesn't matter. Come on, I'll show you just how fun our initiation ceremony is."

"Clarisse-" Annabeth tried to say before Clarisse and I both interrupted.

"Stay out of it, Wise Girl."

"I don't need saving, Annabeth." (I think you can guess who said who.)

Annabeth looked between Clarisse and I, then finally backed down, if a little reluctant. I could stand up for myself. I was gonna show this camp just who Percy Jackson was.

I tossed my Minotaur horn to Annabeth and got in a fighting position and quickly lunged at Clarisse. We both fell to the ground, but, unfortunately, Clarisse got her bearings quicker than I did and grabbed me by the neck and dragged me to the ladies' room.

Clarisse's goons were laughing heartily all the way there. If only they knew that shit was about to go down.

As we entered the bathrooms, I saw Annabeth watching through her fingers. Wow. As we neared, I tried to control the water, as Poseidon was the God of Seas, which meant water. After a bit, when I was at the door of a stall, I felt a sharp tug in my gut. Then I heard the plumbing rumble, the pipes shudder. Clarisse iron grip on my hair loosened as water shot out of the toilet and showers, over my head, and onto the faces of Clarisse and her friends.

Just as she got up, all the other toilets exploded and hit Clarisse and the others so hard in the face they were pushed onto their butts, outside of the bathroom.

As soon as they were out of the door, the tug in my gut lessened and the water shut off.

The whole bathroom was flooded and unfortunately, Annabeth hadn't been spared. She was sopping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out of the door. She was rooted to the ground, staring at me in shock.

I looked down and realized I was sitting in the only dry spot in the whole room. I also didn't have one drop of water on me either. Cool.

I stood up as Annabeth said, "How did you..."

"Wouldn't you like to know," I said.

We walked out the door to be met with the sight of Clarisse and her friends sprawled in the mud, surrounded by a bunch of campers gawking at them. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face, her camouflage jacket soaked and smelled like sewage. She gave me a look of absolute hatred, but before she could say anything, I came up to her and held out my hand.

"Hey, sorry about spraying you, but you didn't really give me an option. I was actually hoping we could be somewhat friends, you seem like a fierce friend. You know, someone I can be myself around and stuff," I said this all so quietly that only she could hear me.

She stared at me, and then my hand with a contemplative look. After a couple of tense seconds, she took my hand and I helped her pull her self up.

"Yeah, sure. You pretty cool, I guess. I still hate you, but I'll give you a chance, Prissy."

Then, along with her goons, she made her way to cabin five, glaring at anyone who looked at her.

Annabeth stared at me. I didn't know if she was grossed out or angry at me for dousing her.

"What?" I demanded. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," she said, "that I want you on my team for Capture the Flag."

I only had one question. What the hell was Capture the Flag?

 **Ok, this chapter is way longer to make up for the awful chapter that was chapter 5. I'm sorry I couldn't update, my teachers are assholes. They gave me a shit ton of homework everyday, INCLUDING FRIDAY! What monster does that? Anyways, now I should update regularly now that I have hardly any homework now! Til next time!**

 **EDITED 4/7/18:**

 **I toned down Percy's cussing cause there was a lot of the word 'fucking' in unnecessary places... I made it so that Percy's kinda like me, she uses more intense cuss words when thinking but when she talks, she tones it down. This is so when you read this, it's not like every sentence has a cuss word. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND READING THIS STORY AGAIN BECAUSE I DID CHANGE SOME MAJOR THINGS!**


	7. IMPORTANT

**Just a heads up. I MIGHT not update for like a little over a week, maybe two weeks. I've come down with the worst cold I've ever had. I've puked like six times today, I can't eat or it'll just come back up. I've been having huge migraines and stomach pains, all in all, I just feel like absolute shit. Then again, I MIGHT just overcome this sooner than I thought or I'll just push through it and still update. But for now, I'm glued to my trash can or my toilet or my bed. So sorry! I'll try to update though, for your guys' sake.**


	8. Chapter 7

**TLT Chapter 7**

 **MY DINNER GOES UP IN SMOKE**

 **Hey guys! Turned out, I had the stomach flu... luckily though, it went away within a week. But now I'm back and feeling ten times better! Thank you guys sooo much for the nice "get well soon's" you guys sent me! It makes me feel nice! HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU GUYS!(or if you don't celebrate any holiday, I hope you have a great December and New Years!) So, ONTO THE STORY! TELL ME IF YOU WANT LUKE TO BE THE BAD GUY! I CANT UPDATE UNTIL YOU TELL ME! THIS IS HELLA IMPORTANT!**

So apparently, these campers don't know how to _shut up_ , seeing as the bathroom incident spread in just a few hours. So wherever I went, campers just pointed at me and murmured some shit about toilet water. Or they were just talking about Annabeth, who was basically dripping with sewer water.

Despite me soaking her, she still showed me around. She showed me the metal shop where some buff kids forged cool swords, the arts and crafts room where I saw satyrs making a marble sculpture of Pan, and lastly, the climbing wall. The climbing wall was the best thing at this damn camp. It had two facing walls that shook violently, dropped some big ass boulders, sprayed hot ass lava, and clashed together if you didn't get your ass up to the top in time. I was so trying that.

Finally, we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the exotic cabins.

"I've got training to do," Annabeth said indifferently. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

Damn. Who stuck a rod up her ass? Wait. I did...

"Annabeth, I'm so- I'm sorr-" I just couldn't seem to say the damn word. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorrrrrrrr...eeeeee?" It came out like a question.

Annabeth, who was looking amused through the whole thing, put back her mask of indifference and said, "Whatever."

"Ok, do you know how hard that was? And all I get is a damn whatever?! I NEVER apologize! You should be honored!"

"Me? Honored? Yeah, keep dreaming."

"Just go back to your training!"

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at me, studying me. "You need to see the Oracle. I'll talk to Chiron about it."

"You know what," I said exasperated, "I'm not even gonna ask."

After my little speech, I stared at the lake, not really expecting someone to come out from the bottom.

"Holy shit! She gave me a heart attack!"

All the little blue lady did was wave. I just gave her a dirty look; I hate being scared.

"Can you just be nice for once and wave at the girl?" Annabeth demanded.

"Aren't you supposed to be training? Take your ass out of my convo and leave."

"You're insufferable."

"I know."

Yeah, I was hoping she would leave after that. But guess what. She didn't.

"So, since you already knew that your dad is a god, do you know who he is?" Annabeth inquired, a curious glint in her eyes.

"Yes," I replied, then continued before she could get a word in, "I know exactly who my father is. But I'm not telling. I want to be claimed first."

She looked a little dejected, but let out a disappointed, "Fair enough."

"Since you wanna butt your way into my life, I'll butt my way into yours. Who's your mom or dad?"

Her hands seemed to clench on the railing when I mentioned her dad.

"Daddy issues? We all have them."

"My dad is a professor at West Point. He teaches American history," she forced out.

"Who's your mom?"

"Cabin six."

I looked at her incredulously. Did she expect me to know who that was?

She must've seen my look because she looked a little sheepish, but then straightened and said, "Athena. Goddess of Wisdom and Battle."

"You could've just said Athena. Jeez."

She gave me a scathing glare to which I just brushed off.

"So, I have to stay with the Hermes cabin until my dad claims me, right? When do you think that'll happen?" I asked.

"Well, it depends. Sometimes they claim you within a month, and sometimes..."

I knew she was going to say never.

"Wait, lemme get this straight. So, the gods want us to fight for them, but they don't acknowledge us? That makes no sense!"

"You see, Percy, gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't care about some of us."

Suddenly, the sullen faces I saw in the Hermes cabin made sense. They were waiting for a call that never came. I'd seen kids like that at Yancy. Kids who were just shipped off by their rich parents without a care in the world. But these were _all powerful_ gods; you'd think they'd behave better.

"So that's it? I'll stay here fighting for the rest of my life, never to see the outside world again?" I asked. Don't get me wrong, I didn't mind the fighting, in fact, I loved it. The only problem was not being able to go anywhere. I didn't want to be confined to one place; I was a free spirit.

"That also depends," Annabeth started. "Some campers only stay in the summer. If you're a child of a minor god or something, you're probably don't have a huge aura. The monsters might ignore you, allowing you to get by with training in the summer and to live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us and come to challenge us. Most the time, monsters ignore you until you're ten or eleven, but after that, it's up to the demigod to make their way here or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Some of them don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."

"What I'm gathering here is that monsters can't enter this place."

Annabeth nodded her head. "Correct. Well, not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specifically summoned by someone on the inside."

"Why the hell would anybody want to summon a damn monster?"

"Practical fights. Practical jokes."

"Jokes? Well, I'm startin' to like this place more and more," I said with a mischievous smile.

"The point is, the borders are sealed to keep the monsters and mortals out. From the outside, to mortals, camp looks like a regular strawberry valley, nothing unusual."

"Mm. So... you're a year-rounder I'm assuming."

Annabeth nodded and pulled out a leather necklace with five different clay beads out of her obnoxiously bright T-shirt. I realized that it looked just like Luke's, except Annabeth's also had a big gold ring strung on it.

"I've been here since I was eleven," she said, surprising me. "Every August, on the last day of the summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college."

"Why'd ya come so young? Did it have something to do with your father?"

She twisted her ring on her necklace. "None of your business."

"I was just asking, damn, no need to get snappy," I muttered under my breath. If her scathing look towards me meant anything, I'd say I didn't do a good job.

We stood there in an uncomfortable silence before I finally spoke. "So... I could just walk outta here right now if I wanted to?"

"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless..."

"Unless, what?"

"You were granted a quest. But that rarely ever happens. The last time..."

Her voice trailed off. I could tell from her tone that last time wasn't a good time. So I decided to change the subject.

"Uh, back in the sick room," I said, "when you were feeding me that stuff-"

"Ambrosia."

"Yeah, whatever. You asked me about the summer solstice."

Annabeth's shoulders tensed. "So you do know something?"

"Nah. But back at my old school, I had overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something about not having enough time, because of a deadline. Do you know what that means?"

She clenched her fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron, the satyrs, and obviously Mr. D, they all know, but they won't tell me. Something huge is wrong up in Olympus. But the thing is, last time I was there, everything seemed normal."

"Well that means that it happened either during or after the meeting- wait, you've been to Olympus? Cool."

"Yeah, I'll have to consider that. Also, yes, some of us year-rounders—Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others— we took a field trip during the winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council."

"How'd you get to Olympus?

"The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor." She looked at me like I must already know this shit. "You are a New Yorker, right?"

"Are you stupid? I thought we already established that I'm a new fucking demigod. How the hell would I know about the damn six hundredth floor on the Empire State Building if I'm new to this?"

She, again, looked sheepish and mumbled a barely audible apology before continuing. "Right after we visited, the weather got weird, like the gods were fighting. I've overheard some satyrs talking. All I know is that something very important was stolen. If it's not returned by the summer solstice, there's going to be a lot of trouble. When you came, I was hoping... I mean- Athena can get along with just about anybody, except Ares. And there's the rivalry with Poseidon. But, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something."

"Well, you though wrong." This girl was being an absolute bitch in my opinion. Why was she letting her parents problems get in the way of who she befriended? Were all Athenian kids like this? I hoped not, for their sake.

"I've got to get a quest," Annabeth muttered to herself, a little too loudly. "I'm not too young. If they would just tell me the stupid problem..."

I ignored her for the delicious smell of barbecue that invaded my senses. Annabeth must've heard my stomach growl (who wouldn't? It was loud as shit) so she told me to go on and that she'd catch up with me later.

Back at the musty cabin eleven, everyone was fuckin around, waiting for dinner. For the first time since I got here, I actually took the time to analyze the campers. Most of them had sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, and mischievous smiles. They were the kind of people that I'd be caught hanging out with. As I walked over to my spot on the floor, some of the campers shot me wary glances. As I put down my Minotaur horn, I made eye contact with almost every camper. When they looked at me, I pointed to the horn, then to them, then made a slitting motion across my throat. I think they got the memo, as they all nodded.

The counselor, Luke, came over. He had the Hermes resemblance, too. It was marred by the scar, but I thought that that made him look awesome.

"Found you a sleeping bag," he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store."

I just gave a short bark of laughter and accepted the bag.

"Thanks."

"No prob." Luke sat next to me, pushing his back against the wall. "Tough first day?"

"Nope. It was great! I got to kick a guy in the stomach, drench a possible friend in toilet water, and back talked a bunch of people without getting grounded! This place is great!"

He looked at me weirdly, like he couldn't believe I did all those things, then burst out laughing. "Oh, I like you!"

I just smiled with him.

"So your dad is Hermes?" I asked.

"Yeah. Hermes."

"The wing-footed messenger guy," I said, trying to lighten his mood even more.

He gave a shot laugh. "Yep, that's him. Medicine, travelers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That's why you're here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality."

"I wouldn't say enjoying," I joked, earning another short laugh from him. "Have you ever met your dad?"

"Only once."

"Cool."

Luke looked up and smile. "Don't worry about friends here, Percy," he said, completely changing the subject. "The campers here are all good people. After all, we're extended family, right? We take care of each other."

I wasn't really worried about making friends, but it was nice to know I wouldn't be spending my entire summer with a bunch of stuck-up assholes.

"Annabeth said that I should talk to an Oracle. What's all that jazz about?"

"I hate prophecies."

"Hmm? Prophecies? Why do you hate prophecies?"

His face switched around the scar. "Let's just say I messed things up for everyone. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went to shit, Chiron had forbade anymore quests. And Annabeth's curious self has been dying to go to the outside world. She pissed off Chiron so much that he told her he already knew her fate, that he'd had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't supposed to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until... somebody special came to the camp."

"Is that why she kept calling me 'the one' today?"

"Don't worry about it, Perce," Luke said. "Annabeth wants to think that every damn person that comes here is 'the one'. Now, come on, it's dinner time."

"Hey! Don't call me-!" I was cut off by the sound of a conch shell blowing in the distance. When I looked to my right, Luke was already up and out of my reach.

"That little bastard," I muttered.

"Eleven, fall in," Luke yelled.

The whole cabin, about twenty of us, filed into the commons yard. We lined up in order of seniority, so I was obviously dead fucking last. Campers from other cabins filed in, too.

We marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined from the meadow; naiads emerged from the canoeing lake; and dryads came from the trees.

In total, there were probably a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted dryads and naiads.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. Each cabin has its own table—which I though was stupid. What if you had friends from other cabins? All of them were covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four tables were empty, but eleven's was way overcrowded. I was about to sit on the very edge when I noticed two mischievous looking twins wave me over, an open spot between them. I walked right over and plopped between them, giving them a nod of thanks.

I took this time to look around at the other tables.

Grover was sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, other satyrs, and two plump boys who must've been D's kids.

Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with grey eyes and honey blond hair. They looked like total buzzkills, like Annabeth.

Clarisse sat behind me at Ares's table. She looked over at me and gave me an acknowledging nod, to which I gladly returned.

Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, which had to have hurt, and everyone fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, cheese, fresh bread, and yes, BARBECUE! My glass was empty, but the dude to my left said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want that's non-alcoholic."

I looked at him skeptically. "If you're pulling my leg, I'll kick you with said leg."

He gulped but nodded nonetheless.

"Cherry Coke," I said.

The glass filled with the wonderful carmel liquid.

Then I had a brilliant idea. "Blue Cherry Coke."

The soda turned a violet shade of blue, earning me weird looks from the twins.

"So, who're you guys? And why'd you save me a seat? Not that I'm complaining," I joked.

They both smiled at me.

"Well I'm Conner Stoll! And to your right is Travis, my older brother!" Conner said, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

"Give me my brass knuckles!" I demanded.

He looked sheepish before handing them over.

"She's good," Travis said. "Hey! I have a great idea! Wanna be prank buddies!"

I gave the most mischievous smirk I could and said, "Totally."

After our little exchange, I was about to dig in to my plate, but everyone was getting up and heading to the fire.

"What're we doing," I whispered to who I thought was Travis.

"We're giving offerings to the gods. They like the smell."

I gave him an incredulous look. "You're kidding."

His normally playful face wasn't so playful and I knew to not take this lightly. I couldn't help but wonder why these immortal, omnipotent deities would like the smell of burning food.

Connor, Travis, and Luke all approached the fire, bowed their heads, threw in a part of their meals, and said, "Hermes."

I was next.

I already knew what gods name to say.

"Hermes, Hestia, and Poseidon." I said their names so quietly that no one else heard me. Thank god, er, gods?

I caught I whiff of he flames and I actually didn't gag.

It didn't smell like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and everything else in the world that was good. I could almost believe that the gods could live if of that.

Before I went back to my seat, I saw a little girl in the fire. I almost freaked out until I realized it was Hestia. She looked at me and smiled, so waved to her and bowed. She quickly looked away; I thought I saw a blush on her face, but it must've just been the fire.

When everyone had returned to their seats and finished eating, me getting to know the Stolls better, Chiron pounded his hoof again for our attention.

Mr. D got up with an over dramatic sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Chiron says that the next capture there flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels."

A bunch of loud cheers rose from the Ares table.

"Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations and all that. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Percy Jackson."

Everyone seemed surprised, even Chiron, that he pronounced my name right. Guess he doesn't do that often.

"That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on." Mr. D said, completely oblivious, or just ignoring, to the stunned silence.

Everybody cheered. We all headed down toward the amphitheater, where the Apollo cabin led a sing-along. We sang camp songs about the gods and ate s'mores and joked around. And for the first time in my entire life, I felt at home.

LINE BREAK

Later in the evening, when the sparks from the campfire were floating into the sky, the conch horn blew again, and we all filed back into our cabins. I didn't realize I was so tired until my head hit the sleeping bag.

When I closed my eyes, I fell asleep instantly.

That was my first day at Camp Half-Blood.

I wish I'd known how everything would go to shit so soon.

 **OK GUYS! THATS A WRAP! SO SORRY IT TOOK ALMOST A MONTH TO GET THIS OUT, BUT WITH THE COLD I HAD, HOLIDAYS, AND SCHOOL, I WAS A LITTLE BUSY. BUT SERIOUSLY GUYS, YOU NEED TO COMMENT IF YOU WANT LUKE TO BE GOOD OR BAD! I CANT WRITE THE NEXT CHAPTER WITHOUT KNOWING! FEEL FREE TO PM ME OR JUST REVIEW YOUR ANSWER! BUT I NEED IT SOON! AND AS YOU CAN SEE, PERCY'S ALREADY CUSSING LESS THE LONGER SHE STAYS AT CAMP.**

 **Edited 4/14/18:**

 **Hey guys well this is another rewritten chapter... also, if you can't already tell, I'm trying (keyword: trying) to incorporate the pairing in. I know some of you will think Percy's being dense about Hestia... but honestly, I get Percy is supposed to be clever, but who would really jump to the conclusion that a GODDESS likes them? It's just not realistic. So give it some time, ok? The rest should be up, hopefully, soon.**


	9. Chapter 8

TLT Chapter 8

WE CAPTURE A FLAG

VERY FUCKING IMPORTANT A/N

 **OKAY GUYS! IVE CHANGED PERCYS HAIR! CHECK IT OUT IN DESKTOP MODE! ALSO, PERCY WILL BE CUSSING MORE OFTEN NOW! I DONT KNOW WHY THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN MY MIND BUT WHATEVA...DEAL WITH IT. AND SINCE I GOT A TON OF PM'S WANTING LUKE TO BE GOOD, HELL BE GOOD. IF YOU WANTED DIFFERENT, YOU SHOULDA REVIEWED. IT TAKES LIKE 10 SECONDS, GEEZ. THERE IS ALSO A POLL FOR WHO PERCY SHOULD BE WITH! VOTE! I WILL NOT PUT HERA OR ARTEMIS OR POSEIDON AS OPTIONS THOUGH! WELL, ONTO THE STORY!**

The next few days were boring as hell— and that's putting it nicely. The only exotic thing was the fact that I was being taught by satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur.

Each and every stupid morning, I took Ancient Greek from Annabeth, and we talked about all of the stupid gods and goddesses (cue thunder). Annabeth was semi-wrong about my dyslexia: Ancient Greek was actually pretty easy for me. After a couple of lessons — and a few, okay, a lot, of arguments — I could read through a couple chapters of Homer without too much of a headache.

The rest of the day, I'd rotate through outdoor 'activities' — if you call getting into fights, activities — trying to look for something I excelled in. Chiron tried (keyword: tried) to teach me archery, but we found out that I was absolute shit with a bow and arrow. Somehow, he didn't complain, not even when I 'accidentally' shot a kid in the foot. Yeah, that kid, he was behind me.

Foot racing? Fuck that. The wood-nymph instructor beat me ninety-nine percent of the time — I rarely won. They told me it was because they had experience with love sick gods. Damn, can the gods keep their hands off anything that has a vagina?

Wrestling? I wasn't bad. I beat Clarisse most of the time. She would give me helpful hints on how to improve, even though I took Tae Kwon Do when I was ten, I was a little rusty.

But the thing I really excelled at? It was fucking canoeing! Really!? Canoeing?! But I figured it was from Poseidon, so I wasn't really that surprised, more agitated.

I knew the senior campers were watching me, trying to find out who my dad was. Little did they know that I already knew. See, I didn't have the strength of an Ares kid—though I was close—, and I definitely wasn't good with a bow like the Apollo kids were. I didn't have any of Hephaestus's skills or Dionysus's ways with vines. Luke and Ethan—a bitter Nemesis kid I had become friends with— suggested that I might be a daughter of Hermes. A master of none. I was quick to tell them to fuck off.

Despite all of that crazy shit, I liked camp. I guess I got used to the wonderful smell of pine trees that I loved so much, even the weird noise that the monsters made at night wasn't so annoying anymore. Gods I'm becoming soft.

Soon, I started to understand Ethan's bitterness when I looked at it from his point of view. I get it, gods are busy and shit, but is it so fucking hard to wave your hand to claim a kid? Or to recognize the minor gods' kids? Dionysus could make Diet Coke appear out of thin fucking air. Why couldn't the other lazy ass gods claim their kids? Or just poof a cabin for minor gods? I didn't understand, and that made me even more angry than usual. Combine that with the fact that my dad hasn't claimed me yet and I knew who he was, I was livid.

Thursday afternoon, three days after I'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I had my first sword fighting lesson. Everyone from cabin eleven gathered in the arena, where Luke would be our instructor.

We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. Not trying to brag, but I did great. I understood everything I was supposed to do and my reflexes were, as Luke said it, "better than any newbie I've ever seen."

Only problem? I couldn't find a fucking blade that actually felt balanced in my hands. I tried light ones, heavy ones, short ones, long ones. None of them worked. Luke tried his best, but in the end, he also agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for me. Fucking stupid ass blades giving me a hard time...

We moved on to dueling in pairs. Of fucking course, Luke announced he would be my partner, since it was my first time. I don't think that was the reason...

"Good luck," one of the campers told me. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years."

"Oh, fuck off, will you?" I replied hotly.

The camper backed off pretty quickly.

"Luke, I swear to the gods, purposely hurt me and you won't be able to have kids," I said menacingly, to which Luke hastily nodded to. Hah. A fifteen year old scared of a twelve year old.

Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks somewhat brutally. I was able to block some of his hits, but not all. "Keep your guard up!" He said as he went to hit me in the ribs, which I barely blocked. "Good." Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "There you go!" Whap!

By the time he called a break, I was soaked in sweat, showing the lower half of my stomach because of my shirt. Some guys wolf-whistled and cat-called, to which I just glared at.

"I'm twelve years old you perverts! Fuck off, will you?!" I yelled. The guys immediately stopped and the girls and Luke looked at me with respect.

Luke handed me a new shirt for me to change into. I thanked him and changed. In front of everyone. Cause frankly, I don't give a damn.

While everyone was shocked into silence, I was able to grab some water from the cooler before it ran out and poured it on top of me. It felt amazing.

Luke was the first to snap back to reality. "Okay, everybody circle up!" He ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo," he said, giving me a mischievous smile.

Shit, I thought. I'm totally, one hundred percent fucked.

The Hermes guys gathered around. Some looked worriedly at me, others showing pity. Great. Luke told everyone he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that your opponent had no choice but to drop their weapon. Sounds badass.

"This is very difficult," he stressed. "I've had it used against me. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique. No laughing at Percy. I doubt you will though, as she would punch your lights out," he said the last part mostly to himself, but I heard it and smirked.

He demonstrated the move on me in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of my hand.

"Now, in real time," he said after I retrieved my weapon. "We'll keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?"

"I was born ready. You're the one that needs to be ready, Letter Boy."

Before Luke could even register the new nickname I gave him, I lunged. He barely raised his blade in time. I started to go all out, energized by the water. I was able to keep him from hitting the hilt of my sword and countered all of his attacks. Suddenly, Luke's face changed, he started pressing me harder, trying to see how far I could go.

The sword started to feel more awkward in my hand, the balance was becoming less and less proportionate. I knew I had to speed things up or Letter Boy over here would cream me. So, I had a brilliant idea. Let's try the disarming technique. Why the fuck not?

So I gave it my best and tried the disarming technique.

My blade hit the base of Luke's and I twisted, putting all of my weight into a downward thrust.

Clang.

Luke's sword hit the concrete. The tip of my blade was a mere inch from his undefended chest. Take that, Luke.

The other campers were dead silent.

I lowered my sword and offered my hand to Luke. "Take that, Letter Boy."

For a moment, Luke just stayed on the ground, too stunned to do anything.

Then his face broke out into a huge grin and he took my hand. "By the gods, Percy, that was awesome! Maybe I'll finally have a fair sparring buddy soon! Can you show me that again?"

I felt drained, but nodded nonetheless.

We both got back in position and raced to each other.

We did the technique five more times, I pulled it off two of the five times.

Luke swiped the sweat off of his brow when we were done. He looked at me appraisingly. "I wonder what you could do with a balanced sword..."

"I could beat your sorry ass multiple times that's for sure, Letter Boy." I turned and left for my other activities, leaving a flabbergasted Luke behind me.

But what I failed to notice was the thoughtful, and slightly malicious, look on Ethan's face as I left.

Line Break

Friday afternoon, I was sitting with Grover at the lake, resting from a vigorous day of training. Grover and I had just got back from the climbing wall. Grover, of course, scampered to the top in under a minute, being the goat he is. Me on the other hand, it took me three minutes, which Grover assured me was better than almost all of the newbies.

Anyways, we were sitting on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket-weaving—well I wasn't really watching—, until my curiosity got the best of me and I asked Grover how his little convo with Mr. D went.

Needless to say, his face turn an unhealthy shade of yellow.

"It went fine," he said. "Just great."

"Well, that doesn't sound very reassuring to me. Is your career still on track, though?"

He glanced at me a little nervously. "Chiron t-told you I wanted a searcher's license?"

I was going to ask him what the hell a searcher's license was, but I was smart enough to know that he didn't want to talk about that. "No, he didn't. He just said that you had some big plans and you needed credit or something for completing a keeper's assignment. Did you get that?"

Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgement. He said that I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates are still tied together. If you were to get a quest or something and I came along with you to protect you, and the fact that we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."

Of course.

"Well, that's not that hard is it?"

"Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have given me stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest are very slim. Even if you did get a quest, why would you bring me along? You have the whole Ares cabin willing to come with you."

"I know that Grover, but they haven't been my friends for as long as you have. Of course I'd want your furry ass with me!"

Grover started forlornly at the water, just the tiniest hint of a smile on his face. "Basket-weaving... must be nice to have a useful skill."

I slapped Grover real hard when he said that.

"OW! What was that for?!" He yelled.

"For being a godsdamned idiot! You are a talented satyr! You are brave; I don't many people who are willing to run in the pouring rain to my cabin just to warn me of a monster that wasn't even after them. I don't know many people who are willing to risk their life for me. Grover, don't forget it, you are the best satyr there is."

By the end of my little speech, Grover had tears in his eyes. He sprang at me to give me a hug. I stiffened and gently pushed him away, hoping he'd get the hint; I still wasn't used to being treated so nicely all the time. He seemed to notice and quickly pulled away, sending me an understanding glance.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get used to it, Goat Boy."

After that little speech fest, we talked about a lot of stuff, ranging from sword fighting to canoeing. Finally, I asked him about the four empty cabins.

"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So only her hunters stay there, well, when they visit."

"Yeah, okay. I already know about the Hunters of Artemis and all that jazz. Tell me about the three at the end."

Grover tensed, we were getting to a touchy subject. "Well, number two is Hera's," he said. "That one's honorary. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't cheat. That's her husbands job-" I snorted. "When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos."

"Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades... wow. I'm surprised there was no lightning when I said that."

Grover gave a nervous bleat as he looked up to the sky. "Correct. As you know, after the huge battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what."

"That seems like a pretty shitty way to decide, but that's none of my business. Anyways, Zeus got the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades got the Underworld."

"Yep."

"But... Hades doesn't have a cabin here. Shouldn't he have a cabin?"

"Well... no. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He does his own thing down under. If he did have a cabin here... well it wouldn't be pleasant."

Internally, I was wondering what was so bad about Hades. From what my mom told me, Hades was tricked into taking the Underworld. I felt an understanding towards Hades; despite everyone knowing me back in school, I was always an outcast, no one wanted to hang out with me...

I shook my head to rid the thoughts of my past and asked the question that was bugging me this whole time.

"Didn't Zeus and Poseidon, like, whore around a shit ton? They had like twenty fucking kids. So why the hell are their cabins empty?"

Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. "You really need to learn how to phrase your words. Anyways, to answer your question...s, about sixty years ago, a little bit after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't have anymore kids-" That went well didn't it, I thought "-their children were far too powerful and were affecting the course of human affairs too much. Did you know that World War II was basically a war between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and Hades on the other? Probably not. Well, Zeus and Poseidon, the winning side, then forced Hades into the oath with them: no more mortal affairs with women. They all swore on the River Styx."

Thunder boomed.

"Isn't that the most serious oath you can make?"

Grover nodded.

"Hah. I bet all my money that Zeus broke first."

Thunder boomed, very loudly. I just smirked. Grover looked terrified.

"Welll... you're right. Zeus 'broke' first seventeen years ago. There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo. Guess he couldn't help himself. Nine months later, his child was born, a little girl named Thalia. As you said before, oaths made on the River Styx are serious about promises. Zeus got let off easy since he's immortal and all, but Thalia was left with a terrible fate."

"Ok, I find that completely unfair, that girl did nothing wrong, Zeus shoulda been punished," I said.

Thunder boomed louder than last time.

Grover shot me a half annoyed, half exasperated, and half terrified look. "Could you not anger the King of Gods? Just for a second?"

"Let me think," I responded. "Nope!"

Grover let out an exasperated sigh before continuing his story. "Percy, children of the Big Three are a lot stronger than a regular half-blood. They have very strong auras, a scent that attracts monsters. When Hades found out about the girl, we wasn't at all happy about Zeus breaking the oath that he was forced into. Hades let out the worst monsters out of Tartarus to pursuit Thalia. A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do to save her. He tried to escort her and her other half-blood friends. They almost made it, they were at the top of that hill."

He pointed across the valley, the pine tree where I'd fought the Minotaur. "All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a horde of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr friend to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she distracted the monsters. She was already wounded and tired, and she refused to live like a hunted animal. The satyr was reluctant to leave her, but she was very stubborn—kinda like you—so the satyr was left to protect the other two kids. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. Zeus took pity on her as she died and turned her into a pine tree. Even today, her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why it's called Half-Blood Hill."

I stared at the pine tree in the distance as I spoke to Grover. "So, what you're saying is that Zeus couldn't interfere in her whole entire life until she was about to die? That sounds kind of stupid. Like, isn't that still interfering with her life?"

Grover stared at me in shock, then concern. "Percy, it wouldn't do you any good to think like that. I know that the gods aren't the best parents but even Zeus has to abide by the laws."

"But he didn't seem to have a problem breaking the law to sire Thalia, now did he?"

Grover looked at me pleadingly. "Please, just drop it for now..."

"Whatever."

Line Break

That night after dinner, there was a hell of a lot more excitement than usual.

Finally, it was time for my first capture the flag.

When the nymphs came and took our plates away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables.

Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was a whopping ten feet tall, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner that was more my speed. It was the same size as Annabeth's but it was gaudy red, painted with a wicked bloody spear and a boar's head. Clarisse saw me appraising her flag and gave me an acknowledging nod, a small smile at her lips.

I turned to Ethan and Luke and yelled over the noise, "Lemme guess, those are the flags?"

"Yeah," Luke said.

"Do Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"

This time, Ethan answered. "Not always, but very often."

"So if another cabin was to win, what do the flags do, magically change?" I asked.

Ethan grinned, a glint in his eye that I just couldn't place. "You're smart. But first, we have to get one."

"So, whose side are we on?"

Ethan gave me a sly look, as if he knew something I didn't. The eyepatch on his face made him look evil in the torchlight. "We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we'll be getting the flag from Ares. And you're going to help."

"Well, duh."

Line Break

The teams were announced. Apparently, Athena made an alliance with Hermes and Apollo by trading chore schedules, shower times, and other stupid shit like that.

Of course, that meant that Ares gets everyone else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. Totally unfair... well now that I think about it, totally fair. Dionysus's kids were very athletic, but there were only two of them. Demeter's kids had the advantage with nature, damn them, but, they weren't very aggressive. Aphrodite's prissy children didn't ever participate, just stared at their stupid reflections the whole game, ugh. Hephaestus was a threat, though. Even though there were only four of them, they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. Then, of course, that left the Ares cabin: a dozen of the biggest and meanest kids (sorry Clarisse) on Long Island, and everywhere else.

Before the game started, I snuck over to the hearth, where I saw Hestia again. She saw me coming and waved. I waved back and sat on the log next to her.

"Shouldn't you be with the other children, playing your game?" Hestia asked.

"Well... technically, yes, but you look like you need some company right now." I was being highly out of character right now, and I knew it, but something about Hestia just broke my walls down, almost like when I was with Luke.

Hestia gave me a warm smile, like she knew what I was thinking, before saying, "I'm fine, child, go back to your game, we can always talk later. Remember, if you need me, come to the hearth."

She then disappeared into the fire, but I saw the faintest trace of a smile on her face.

I went back to my position; only Luke had noticed I was gone. He gave me a questioning look that I just shrugged my shoulders to, conveying that it wasn't important. He just nodded and looked back towards Chiron.

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. How did that not hurt?

"Heroes," he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line and the entire forest is fair game. Magic items are allowed. The banner must be clearly displayed with no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be gagged or bound-" here, I pouted, which didn't go unnoticed by some, "-no killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as battle medic and referee. Arm yourselves!"

He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered in a shit load of equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, and a lot more.

Before Luke or Ethan could get a word out, I dashed to the front and got myself a nice sized sword, and some light armor that wouldn't weigh me down. The only thing that made me mad was that I had to wear this fucking helmet with a blue plume on top, signaling I was on Athena's team. Ares's were red.

Luke tried to hand me a shield, but I declined it, saying, "Do you want me to die?"

"No! I just thought you needed the protection!"

"You're saying this to the person who beat your ass three out of five times?"

Luke's cheeks spread in a blush. "Fine. Don't take it. But your position is with me."

"Why?"

"Annabeth and I both agreed that you're very skilled. So you're with me, trying to get the flag."

"Sweet." I was practically jumping in my shoes. I was ready to pound some faces in... wait, I can't do that... oh, well.

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"

We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at everyone but me (I wonder why...) as they headed of toward the north.

I caught up to Annabeth fairly quickly. "Sup."

She glanced at me. "Hmm?"

"So, whats the plan?" I asked. "I have no magic items but I'm sure I'll manage."

This time, she fully turned her face to me while still marching forward. "You need to watch out for Clarisse's spear," she said. "You don't want that thing touching you, it's electric. I take it Luke has told you that you're going to get the flag?"

"Yeah, that's cool and all, but you still haven't told me the plan."

She blushed a little, then glared at me. "I was getting to that."

"Sure you were," I drawled.

"Anyways," she started. "You'll be with Luke during this. I'll send out a distraction team—I hope you can climb trees—cause you and Luke will go through the trees. One of you defeat the guards and make your way back, got it?"

I nodded and went over to Luke.

"Are you ready to kick some red team ass?" I asked.

He grinned. "Totally."

Line Break

As soon as the conch horn blew, Luke, some Apollo campers, and I dashed into the woods. Luke and I quickly scaled up a tree—which I wouldn't be able to do with heavy armor—and waited for the shouts of the distraction team to start.

After a few minutes of going from tree to tree, we heard the signal to go—a shrill, three toot whistle. Luke and I raced to the flag from the trees.

"I'll take out the guards. I'm a decent fighter, I can do it," I whispered to Luke.

He gave a short nod, and waited for me to drop down.

I grabbed my brass knuckles out of my back pocket, which surprised Luke, and said, "Here we go."

I jumped from the tree, right in front of the guards. I knocked one out with a punch to the head with my knuckles before he could even react. The second guard was more prepared, though. As soon as I looked up from my position, a sword was swung at my face. I quickly ducked and grabbed my sword, putting away my knuckles.

We fought back and forth, parrying and slashing. I gave a short whistle that signaled Luke to come and get the flag.

As he dropped down from the tree, it distracted the guard, who turned to the noise. I quickly hit him on the temple with the flat of my blade, instantly knocking him out.

"Come on!" Luke yelled.

Luke and I sprinted as fast as possible to the creek. Ares kids were chasing us, having heard our feet hitting the ground.

They were gaining on us.

I poured on all the speed I had and got ahead of them, Luke's hand in mine so we could keep up with each other.

Ten feet from the creek.

Five feet.

And Luke and I passed the boundary, the flag in Luke's hand.

The conch horn blew, signaling the end of the game.

Annabeth came up to us, a smile on her face. "Congratulations. I didn't know you could fight that well, Percy."

I wiped sweat off my brow. "Thanks," I breathed, completely out of breath.

All of a sudden, there was a growl in the forest. A canine growl.

The cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted in Ancient Greek, "Stand ready! My bow!"

Annabeth, Luke, and I drew our swords.

There on the rocks just above us was a black hellhound the size of a fucking rhino, with lava red eyes and fangs like daggers.

It was lookin straight at me.

Before anybody could do anything, the hound lunged over Annabeth and right on to me. It's razor claws ripped through my armor and into my skin, tearing an agonized scream from my throat. It felt like someone took three daggers and just scraped them down my chest.

"Fucking kill it!" I yelled through the pain.

Then there were several thwacking sounds, arrows. From the hounds neck sprouted forty or so arrows. The monster fell dead at my feet and disappeared into the ground.

By some fucking miracle, I was still alive. My armor was shredded and I knew I was going to bleed out if I didn't get help.

Before I could say anything, Clarisse, Luke, Annabeth, and Ethan rushed over to me.

"Percy!" They all yelled.

"Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!" I kept repeating quietly. "Get me to the water!"

"Are you crazy?! You need ambrosia and nectar!" Luke shouted.

"No, I don't! Just trust me!"

They all reluctantly agreed and carried me to the creek, careful not to jostle me too much.

As soon as they put me in the creek, I felt ten times better. Everyone watched as my wounds healed.

"Di immortales!" Annabeth said after a while. "That was a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment! They're not supposed to..."

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

Before chaos could break out, Clarisse pointed above my head. "Look! Prissy's (why did she have to call me that?) getting claimed!"

I looked above my head and saw a sea green trident. Poseidon had claimed me.

Annabeth had a look of dread on her face as Chiron said, "It is determined."

All around me, campers started kneeling.

"Finally," I muttered, to quiet for anyone to hear.

"Poseidon," Chiron said. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses, King of Atlantis. Hail, Persephone Jackson, Daughter of the Sea God."

 **IMPORTANT!**

 **SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET OUT... BUT WITH SCHOOL AND THE FACT THAT MY HOUSE IS GETTING RENOVATED, I HAVENT REALLY HAD THE TIME TO UPDATE. IM SORRY FOR THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF ETHAN NAKAMURA, BUT I NEEDED A BAD GUY. YOU GUYS NEED TO VOTE ON THE POLL. ITS ON MY PROFILE!**

 **Edited 5/1/18:**

 **Hope you guys liked it! Well, I know I've been kinda absent in the past months and I'm trying to fix that, honest. Sooooo hopefully I can start getting the rest of these chapters updated soon and start writing the rest!**


	10. Chapter 9

TLT Chapter 9

SUPER IMPORTANT

Ok, so I was thinking that Aphrodite and Percy could BFF's because in the book, Ares comes to the diner wanting his shield, right? Well, I was thinking that Aphrodite could come instead because, as you all should know, Aphrodite's scarf was at the water park, too. So when Percy brings her scarf AND Ares's shield back, they become best friends... how that idea sound? Review your opinion. I'm gonna close the poll soon... Hestia's dominating so far with an amazing 56% of the votes, Apollo a close second behind. One last thing, I'm starting to rewrite my chapters. WAIT BEFORE YOU CLICK OUT AND STOP FOLLOWING MY STORY! My chapters are all backed up on my notes. So they don't expire. All I'm doing is tweaking them, there will be differences though so I recommend reading them again. I've already got chapter one-three done and they will be uploaded by the time this is up. So yeah... I won't continue writing until that's done but it won't take long cause it's only eight more chapters... so here's the last chapter before I start rewriting. I'm not gonna finish his chapter though, not until I'm done rewriting so this is all I have for chapter 9. All I have left to say is that this story is gonna be better than ever!

The next morning, Chiron moved me to the cabin I was checking out when I first got here, cabin three.

The good news: I didn't have to share, I had all the space I wanted, got to sit at my own dinner table, pick all my own activities, and call "lights out" whenever I wanted to, and I didn't have to listen to anyone.

Bad news: I was absolutely miserable as hell.

Just when I started to get used to everything and when I actually felt somewhat accepted, I'd been separated as if I was a fucking disease. Not that that hasn't happened before...

Anyway, nobody mentioned the hellhound, at least not to my face. I knew that the attack had scared everyone. It told two things about me: one, that I was the first and only daughter of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at nothing to kill me. The fucking monsters could even invade the camp, a place that has always been considered safe. I messed everything up... What's fucking new?

The other campers-except Clarisse, Luke, Ethan, and sometimes Annabeth-all made sure to avoid me at all cost. Cabin eleven was too much of a pussy to fight me so my lessons with Luke became one-on-one. He pushed me harder than ever, but didn't bruise me up too bad-last time he did I whooped his ass so hard he couldn't sit right for a week.

"You're going to need all the training you can get," he promised, as we were working with swords and flaming torches. "Now let's try that viper-beheading strike again. Fifty more repetitions."

"Gods damn you, Luke," I'd say every time, only to receive a mischievous smirk... every. Damn. Time.

Annabeth still taught me Greek in the mornings, but she seemed to be in her own world of Athena-ness. Every time I said something, she scowled at me, as if I did something wrong.

"Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning?" I'd ask.

She would just send me another nasty look before walking away muttering to herself: "Quest ... Poseidon? ... Dirty rotten... got to make a plan ..."

"Bitch," I would mutter back.

Clarisse-along with Luke-seemed to be the only ones not afraid of me.

Well... kind of.

Apparently someone had the guts to resent me and dropped off a mortal newspaper at my cabin door one night. It was a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page. It took a couple minutes to decipher it, but when I read it, I was in a rage.

GIRL AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER FREAK CAR ACCIDENT

BY EILEEN SMITH

Sally Jackson and daughter Percy are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.

Mother and daughter had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.

Mrs. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepdaughter, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.

Police would not say whether daughter Percy is a suspect in her mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline.

And get this, the phone number was fucking circled in black marker.

I shredded the paper in my hand and slammed it in the trash can, then threw myself on my bunk bed in my empty cabin.

"Lights out," I told myself angrily.

That night, I had a weird ass dream.

I was running along the beach in a storm. But this time, there was a city behind me. It obviously wasn't New York, as the whole place was more spread out and not clumped together.


	11. Chapter 11

so... I had a school shooter at my school... I just need some time to heal because one of my favorite teachers was shot 3 times... he survived but it's still very devastating and I'm still kinda shaken up so I'm sorry but I just can't update right now...:( I actually feel like crying and I just can't find it in me to update. Don't worry I'm not giving this story up, I just need some time. Again, I'm very sorry.


	12. Chapter 12

I have to come clean... I really dislike this story... like with everything going on right now it's just so busy! AND, I had to turn in my school iPad so I no longer have the lightning thief pdf to help write my story. I have no plan for this story, I was just making it up as I go. And honestly I don't know what demon possessed me to curse so much because I don't in real life hardly at all unless I'm mad... this story is just so poorly written.. I've tried so hard to rewrite it but it's not working, I've lost all motivation for this story as well... I think I'm better off writing my own stories that DONT have a ton of cussing... soooo I'm putting this story on permanent hiatus and I'm going to TRY and focus on my other story... I'm really sorry to all of you that liked my story but I just can't do this anymore...


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